Chapter Sixty-Nine: You Cannot Go Back

Boom!

At the banks of the Burial River, the ground suddenly trembled violently once again.

Everyone’s expressions changed; their faces grew tense.

“The Burial River has awakened.”

“Just like always, it happens in the last two days before the secret realm closes.”

“So we’ve waited here for ten days for nothing. Who was the idiot spreading those rumors?”

“Well, that’s not entirely true. At least there’s a new magical treasure in the Burial River now.”

“The river’s awakening, but Xu Zhe hasn’t come out yet. He must be doomed inside.”

“Should we record this historic moment? After all, every time a prodigy falls, it’s a big deal!”

“It’s pointless. The people from the Heavenly Secrets Path have been here for a while. They’ll broadcast the scene to the Spirit Net. Who’ll bother watching your recording unless you make it free?”

“In that case, forget it.”

The many Nascent Soul cultivators murmured among themselves, but their eyes remained fixed on the Burial River.

According to the accounts of their predecessors, each time the Burial River awakened, treasures of all sorts would occasionally float up—some valuable, some worthless. In any case, you had to seize them first to find out.

Bang!

Just then, a muffled sound erupted from the riverbed.

The righteous energy shield Xu Zhe had formed gleamed brilliantly, its dazzling light so intense that it stabbed at the onlookers’ eyes, leaving nothing but a field of white.

Many instinctively closed their eyes, only to snap them open again moments later.

“He’s out! He’s out! But this...”

“What’s going on? Why are there so many treasures?”

Someone finally saw clearly the multitude of “treasures” floating up from the riverbed and cried out in astonishment.

This was nothing like what the old accounts described.

Boom!

In the next instant, the Burial River erupted. Several spells struck the water, and some Nascent Soul cultivators had already made their moves.

The entire river was churned up, water columns shot toward the sky, droplets scattering like rain.

All those “treasures” at the bottom were shaken loose, flung high into the air.

More than a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators leapt into flight, each rushing toward their chosen “prize.” Whenever they encountered rivals, they launched lethal spells without hesitation.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In a blink, the once peaceful banks of the Burial River had become a battlefield.

Whether they managed to seize a “treasure” or not, everyone was drawn into the fray.

Those who got their hands on a “treasure” quickly realized it was mere junk and immediately set their sights on others.

Those who failed to grab anything grew even more desperate, attacking those who did with all their might.

The scene was fierce and chaotic.

...

Beneath the Burial River, Xu Zhe gazed upward at the spectacle, marveling.

At last, he was witnessing the familiar world of cultivators.

No matter how advanced the invading technology, no matter how much it changed their lives, the essence of human nature seemed unchanging.

Not always good, not always evil, but always seeking benefit and avoiding harm.

Xu Zhe suddenly understood—the ninety-nine others hadn’t really changed this world as much as they believed.

“I’m starting to feel a bit guilty,” he mused. “I took all the good stuff, the barely decent things got devoured by that bronze sword, and what’s left is so worthless even ordinary mortals wouldn’t want it—yet here they are, fighting to the death for scraps...”

Xu Zhe frowned slightly. “In the end, I’m the one who incited this battle. I’m an accomplice to human nature. Never mind, I’ll just tell them the truth.”

Splash!

A spray of water erupted on the river’s surface. Xu Zhe emerged, landing on the shore.

Almost no one paid attention, assuming it was just another cultivator killed and tossed into the river.

“Everyone, there’s no need to fight anymore. Those things are all junk; taking them won’t do you any good!” Xu Zhe called out, his voice carrying into the sky.

Xu Zhe?

At last, someone glanced his way—and was immediately shocked.

Damn! After ten days, how had Prodigy Xu’s hair grown so long? He looked even more handsome than before!

But the Burial River had awakened—how was this guy still alive?

Unbelievable!

Boom!

The fighting resumed with greater intensity. No one cared about Xu Zhe.

Only one man spared him a glance and shouted, “Xu Zhe, since you say these things are all junk, then hand over the magical treasure!”

At these words, many eyes flickered, turning toward Xu Zhe.

It was clear these people had already claimed a few “treasures” and discovered they were worthless.

But Xu Zhe’s claim only half-convinced them. After all, the river had produced so many items this time. Who could say there wasn’t something valuable hidden among them?

Now that someone had spoken out, it gave them pause.

Rather than fight desperately over worthless scraps, why not go after Xu Zhe and at least secure a genuine magical treasure?

As the battle raged on, many hesitated.

“Li Xunhuang,” Xu Zhe said with a gentle smile, looking at the man not far away, “I recall telling you you needed a lesson. Not only did you not restrain yourself, but now you’re inciting others against me?”

It was Li Xunhuang who had spoken.

He was late-stage Golden Core, had not joined the melee, but circled the area with his flying sword hovering overhead, ever watchful, clearly waiting for a chance to ambush someone.

“I don’t stoop to incitement,” Li Xunhuang sneered. “I’m simply stating the facts. You’re no sword cultivator—why are you hogging a magical sword?”

Li Xunhuang smirked, his tone mocking. “Besides, with your strength, do you really deserve a magical treasure? If you don’t hand it over now, someone will take it from you once we leave the secret realm.”

“It’s just a magical treasure. You want it? Feel free to come and take it. Anyone else who’s interested may try as well,” Xu Zhe replied calmly, striding straight toward Li Xunhuang.

“Everyone, did you hear him? Xu Zhe himself said anyone with the ability can seize it from him!” Li Xunhuang shouted.

Yet none of the hundred or so Nascent Soul cultivators in the sky dared be the first to act.

In the past, they would not have hesitated.

But with the Heavenly Secrets Path nearby, the Vermilion Bird Army protecting Xu Zhe, and many sects openly expressing goodwill toward him, who would dare make the first move?

No matter who ended up killing Xu Zhe, the first attacker would shoulder the blame and face harsh retribution.

Li Xunhuang seemed oblivious. As the third disciple of Li Chungang, with powerful backing, he did not need to weigh such things as others did.

He had thought someone would snap with a magical treasure at stake.

But his words fell flat; no one moved.

Even his five Nascent Soul companions were caught up in the distant melee, too busy to help.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhe continued to approach, smiling but radiating anything but warmth. In fact, Li Xunhuang began to feel a vague, inexplicable dread—a feeling that seemed oddly familiar.

He couldn’t place it until Xu Zhe came close, clenched his fist, and it dawned on him.

As a boy, before he became Li Chungang’s disciple and learned to cultivate, whenever he misbehaved and hid at home, his father would approach with a cane. That same unease, that same sense of impending doom—he felt it now.

“Damn it, what’s wrong with me? Why should I fear him?”

Li Xunhuang seethed. He’d killed his father long ago, buried the past, and erased all shadows from his childhood. His path since then had been nothing but victory.

Yet Xu Zhe had somehow made him recall that buried fear.

“Xu Zhe, what do you want?” Li Xunhuang shouted, furious. He considered attacking first, but the memory of Xu Zhe killing a Nascent Soul expert from the Jade Pool haunted him, making him hesitate.

He stepped back unconsciously.

“I am Li Chungang’s disciple. If you dare come closer, don’t blame me for striking back!” Li Xunhuang blustered, the threat hollow.

Xu Zhe only smiled and kept walking.

Li Xunhuang backed away again and again, shouting, “You bastard, can’t you understand my words? Stay back!”

At the same time, he sent a desperate message to his Nascent Soul companions: “Hurry, help me!”

The five were on the verge of securing a “treasure” and didn’t want to give it up.

“Hold on, Lord Li, we’ll be right there,” one replied.

“Damn it!”

Li Xunhuang cursed inwardly. His hidden status outranked theirs, yet they dared bargain and stall.

“Xu Zhe, don’t forget—my master is Li Chungang!” he shouted, watching Xu Zhe draw ever closer.

“What was Li Chungang thinking, taking you as a disciple?” Xu Zhe finally spoke, his tone flat.

The words were clear enough for many to overhear, and several were stunned.

Was Prodigy Xu really this bold? He dared insult the Sword God Li?

“You’re courting death!”

Li Xunhuang felt utterly humiliated. Why shouldn’t Li Chungang take him as a disciple?

Furious, he sent his flying sword—suspended above—hurtling toward Xu Zhe in a flash of light, radiating a murderous chill that froze the air into drifting frost as it went.

“Feed the sword with killing intent, frost descends, a thousand miles frozen—attack!”

Li Xunhuang incanted, forming a seal with his fingers.

Boom!

The flying sword erupted in a blizzard, enveloping Xu Zhe in a world of white.

A frigid chill, hidden in the killing aura, swept toward Xu Zhe.

“Hm, this sword art is interesting,” Xu Zhe remarked, raising an eyebrow. Li Xunhuang’s technique was reminiscent of the Void Wind Blade, with its hidden killing edge in a gentle breeze.

But compared to the true Void Wind Blade, which was invisible and formless, Li Xunhuang’s attack was far inferior—less subtle, less powerful, not even in the same league.

“Break.”

Xu Zhe stepped out unscathed.

As his foot touched ground, the blizzard shattered, vanishing without a trace.

“Wha... what?” Li Xunhuang’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

He’d nurtured his sword with murderous intent for years, and yet it hadn’t so much as scratched Xu Zhe.

“Kneel!”

In a blur, Xu Zhe appeared before Li Xunhuang, his voice calm.

Li Xunhuang’s eyes widened.

Bang!

A massive hand pressed down on his head, heavy as a mountain, and forced him to his knees with overwhelming force.

“Who ordered you to send men after Qu Hongxiu?” Xu Zhe asked coldly.

“Xu Zhe, how dare you treat me like this, you—” Li Xunhuang roared in rage.

Bang!

Xu Zhe slapped him hard across the head.

“Who sent you after Qu Hongxiu?” Xu Zhe repeated.

“Xu Zhe, you—”

Bang!

“Who?”

“...”

Bang!

“Speak!”

“...”

Bang!

Slap after slap, Li Xunhuang, forced to his knees, was soon bleeding from the head, his face a mask of blood—utterly wretched.

Each blow left him reeling, his vision fading.

The Nascent Soul cultivators watching were aghast.

Was Xu Zhe’s casual slap truly so lethal?

“Enough!” At last, his five companions could not bear it. They cursed Li Xunhuang’s incompetence but raced to his aid.

“Kill him! Kill him! I want that dog dead in front of me!” Regaining some clarity, Li Xunhuang saw hope as his companions arrived and screamed.

Bang!

Xu Zhe struck him again, blood spraying.

“The first time you met me, you were rude. If you don’t treat me as your elder, I won’t bother treating you as a junior. But I won’t hold it against you.”

Bang! Another slap.

“But you went too far—sending men after me and Qu Hongxiu. Who gave you the nerve?”

Bang!

“I warned you before I entered the Burial River. You didn’t listen and tried to set others on me?”

Bang!

“Even now, you dare call me names? Try to use your master to threaten me?”

Bang!

“Go ask Li Chungang if he’d dare say such things to my face.”

Bang!

“But unfortunately, you won’t get the chance.”

Bang!

With the final blow, Li Xunhuang’s skull fractured, his breath ceased—beaten to death on the spot.

“There’s nothing wrong with your head—how could you be so foolish?” Xu Zhe remarked, glancing at the bloody wound.

He looked up at the five Nascent Soul cultivators who had just landed. “He’s dead. Why don’t you tell me—who sent you?”

“You—”

The five were stunned.

They’d expected Xu Zhe to merely teach Li Xunhuang a lesson, never imagining he would actually kill him.

This was beyond anything they’d anticipated.

“How dare you kill him?” one shouted furiously, unleashing a spell at Xu Zhe.

The other four said nothing—spreading out, attacking from all sides.

Boom!

Xu Zhe responded without hesitation, his long hair flying in the wind as he threw a punch.

Godbreaker!

With core formation cultivation, a half-completed tyrant’s body, and spiritual sense united, his terrifying punch manifested in mid-air as a wolf’s head, jaws wide, lunging forward.

Bang!

The wolf-head strike bit down; the first attacker had no time to react, and was instantly reduced to a bloody mist.

Xu Zhe turned, facing the other four, and punched again.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

All four, their faces frozen with terror, exploded into clouds of blood.

In an instant, the battlefield fell silent as death.

The hundred-odd Nascent Soul combatants in midair froze, scalp tingling, cold sweat running down their spines.

...