Chapter 163: "Life is Cheap, But I Won't Kneel."

Chapter 163: "Life is Cheap, But I Won't Kneel."

Standing at the forefront of the Quzhou cultivators, the Clan Head of the Su Clan gazed at the figure of Chen Qiu, who was holding the Heavenly Clue Umbrella amidst the typhoon storm, his thoughts drifting into a daze.

In his entire life, he had never been so audacious.

Everyone has their moment of glory, but his life had never had one.

He had followed a step-by-step approach in his cultivation, breaking through each stage systematically, and eventually reaching the Divine Transformation Stage without any remarkable achievements.

During Foundation Establishment, he thought, "I'll wait until I break through to the Golden Core stage to be bold."

At the Golden Core stage, he thought, "I'll wait until I reach the Nascent Soul stage to be bold."

At the Nascent Soul stage, he thought, "Forget it, I'll wait until I reach the Divine Transformation stage to be bold."

Finally, he had reached the Divine Transformation stage.

But by then, he was old, and the youthful vigor that would have allowed him to be audacious was gone.

He didn't know who he should be bold towards. Being audacious towards juniors would be seen as bullying and bring ridicule from others. Being audacious towards peers at the same cultivation level was also not an option. So, from his youth, he had always thought, "I'll wait until my cultivation is higher, and then I'll be bold."

As a result, even after reaching the Divine Transformation stage, he had remained quiet and reserved throughout his life.

He looked at Chen Qiu's black robe fluttering in the typhoon storm, and suddenly, a long-lost sense of audacity surged into his heart, causing his voice to tremble uncontrollably as he shouted!

"Chen Qiu, kill them all!"

"I'll protect you, no one dares to touch you!"

This was the first time in his life that he had spoken so arrogantly, and his voice trembled uncontrollably. Unconsciously, his divine sense swept over everyone, and seeing no strange expressions, he felt as if they were infected by his emotions, shouting even more excitedly.

He felt as if a string in his heart was trembling violently.

Even the three Divine Transformation masters from the Demon Race, who were standing in the rain with grim expressions, did not dare to retort.

At this moment, he suddenly realized.

He had always had the qualifications to be audacious! He laughed in a slightly discomposed manner, then took a deep breath, and his voice suddenly boomed in everyone's ears, this time without trembling. It was filled with confidence and audacity!

"Chen Qiu, kill them all for me!"

"I'll protect you!"

"Who in Quzhou can rival me, Su Tianshan!"

After that, he felt the long-suppressed frustration in his heart suddenly dissipate. He had wanted to say these words for a long time, since his Foundation Establishment days, but as his cultivation progressed to the Divine Transformation stage, he had become more and more composed.

But the more composed he became, the more he suppressed himself.

When he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he went to the Heavenly Dao Mystic Realm with his clan's cultivators, he was ridiculed by the main branch's disciples, but he endured it for the sake of family harmony, and the clan elders praised him for his understanding of the big picture.

Later, as his cultivation grew, he continued to endure, thinking of the audacity he had dreamed of his entire life, and in this moment, he finally let it all out! He wanted to be like Chen Qiu! Who cared about the consequences after death, as long as he was alive, no one could dampen his spirits!

"Damn it all!"

Standing next to Su Tianshan, the young master of the Su Clan, Su Gongzi, was slightly dazed as he turned to look at his father. He had never seen this side of his father before. Since his birth, his father had been known for his composure.

It was said that when he was young, even after winning, he would not utter a harsh word, but instead, he would help his opponent up and say that he was lucky to have won.

When had he ever shown such a side?

"Looking for death!"

The Demon Race's Heaven's Pride also listened to the advice and, after Chen Qiu spoke those words, they did not hesitate. Dozens of them, with hideous expressions, holding sharp blades, shot towards Chen Qiu!

Before they even reached him, countless spells had already enveloped Chen Qiu!

Chen Qiu stood calmly in his original spot, without even the intention to move. These Heaven's Pride from the Demon Race were far weaker than Nascent Soul cultivators; he could kill Nascent Soul cultivators, let alone so-called Golden Core Heaven's Pride.

However, one of the spells did possess the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Perhaps it was the so-called strongest Heaven's Pride of the Demon Race.

But that was all.

Even with the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was still just that.

The next moment—

"Boom!"

Amidst the deafening thunder, countless thunder dragons carrying an extremely terrifying might surged towards the Heaven's Pride, and purple-blue arcs of electricity danced in the typhoon storm.

In just one strike!

When the dust was blown away by the storm, the ground had turned into a deep pit, and countless pieces of flesh were scattered everywhere. The dozen or so Heaven's Pride who had charged towards Chen Qiu were all killed in that single strike.

Only one Heaven's Pride from the Demon Race was still alive.

This Heaven's Pride was the so-called strongest Heaven's Pride of the Demon Race.

At this moment, this strongest Heaven's Pride was barely breathing, his body covered in miserable and tragic wounds. His brain had been blown out, and half of his head was gone, leaving only his trembling lips, which quivered as he spoke in fear.

"Don't...kill me..."

As for Chen Qiu,

He was still holding the Heavenly Clue Umbrella with one hand, allowing the typhoon storm to batter his body, and calmly raised his foot to step on the remaining half of the head of the strongest Heaven's Pride.

But at that moment—

"Boom!"

Suddenly, three terrifying palms made of spiritual energy shot towards him from the air, and it was the three Divine Transformation masters from the Demon Race who had made their move, intending to wipe him out!

"How dare you!"

At the same time, Su Tianshan, standing among the Quzhou cultivators, roared and unleashed a powerful wave of spiritual energy that collided with the attacks of the three Divine Transformation masters from the Demon Race!

But it was still one against three,

And the remaining spiritual energy struck Chen Qiu directly, not giving him any time to react.

The power of the spiritual energy from the Divine Transformation masters directly knocked Chen Qiu into the bottom of the pit, and even a trace of their attack was not something a Golden Core Heaven's Pride could withstand.

"Brother Qiu!"

Fat Dragon's eyes flashed with fear, and he was about to rush over, but Scholar was even faster, rushing over in an instant and reappearing by Fat Dragon's side with the barely breathing Chen Qiu.

He had never seen Chen Qiu so severely injured before.

His left arm was gone, leaving only a bloody wound where his arm had been, clearly obliterated in that terrifying strike.

Chen Qiu's entire body was covered in terrifying wounds, and his intestines were even protruding from a gash in his abdomen.

With his eyes tightly shut, he had fallen into a coma and was on the verge of death.

Without immediate treatment, he wouldn't last long.

Even though Su Tianshan had blocked most of the attacks, as a Soul Transformation Master, he was two whole cultivation levels above Chen Qiu. The mere residual force was enough to shatter Chen Qiu's defensive spiritual energy, and half of the Heavenly Clue Umbrella was missing, already damaged.

"Scholar, run!"

Fatty Dragon's voice was filled with desperation as he anxiously urged, "Hurry, find a place to heal Brother Qiu. Otherwise, he'll die!"

He could feel Brother Qiu's pulse weakening.

He had never seen Brother Qiu so severely injured.

Initially, Brother Qiu hadn't wanted to get involved, but the Clan Head of the Su family insisted on having him intervene. Out of respect for the Su family's gift of a Spirit Transformation Body, Brother Qiu agreed.

Just then—

The Clan Head of the Su family returned with a grim expression, landing beside Fatty Dragon and the others. He quickly took out a pill from his chest and shook his head, saying, "You can't leave. Chen Qiu's injuries are too severe. If you leave now, you won't be able to save him, and he'll surely die."

"This pill is a life-saving medicine passed down in our Su family. No matter the injury, as long as you swallow this pill, you can keep your life. It's gentle in nature, and even those with lower cultivation levels can take it."

As the pill was forced into Chen Qiu's mouth, his wounds began to visibly heal slowly. However, his severed arm showed no signs of regrowth, and although his face remained deathly pale, it was clear that he had been pulled back from the brink of death.

"I'm sorry."

A hint of shame flashed across the Clan Head of the Su family's face. "I did my best, but I couldn't stop those three simultaneous attacks. I didn't expect the Demon Race's Soul Transformation Master to target a junior."

"If I had known, I wouldn't have let Chen Qiu participate. Let's take Chen Qiu back to the Su family. They will surely find a way to help him regrow his arm."

Standing nearby, Li Shier and the others also looked flustered and at a loss, assuming it was a battle between Golden Core Heaven's Pride. They never imagined that a Soul Transformation Master would intervene, much less that Chen Qiu would be so severely injured.

In this Heaven's Pride battle, Chen Qiu had won, but at a terrible cost. Losing an arm essentially meant the end of his Heaven's Pride journey, and his combat power would undoubtedly decline significantly in the future.

Just then—

A mocking voice rang out from the Demon Race's side.

"He's not dead, what a pity."

One of the Demon Race's Soul Transformation Masters shook his head regretfully, "He's quite lucky to still be alive. This is the first Heaven's Pride of Quzhou, and he's so weak. It's disappointing."

In truth, they were secretly relieved.

Earlier, they had been carried away by the idea of eliminating Quzhou's Heaven's Pride, as his strength was indeed formidable and needed to be crushed in its infancy to prevent future troubles.

They also wanted to save their own Demon Race's Heaven's Pride, who they believed would surely reach the Soul Transformation stage with their exceptional talent. It would be a waste to let him die here.

In their eagerness, they had forgotten that Chen Qiu possessed 9.8 billion virtue points. If they had killed him, they would have faced dire consequences. Only when they were about to strike did they realize this, and they managed to retract some of their spiritual energy, enduring backlash in the process.

Otherwise, even with three of them attacking together, how could Su Tianshan, a Soul Transformation Master, stop them?

But now, the outcome was the best they could hope for.

Chen Qiu was severely injured and on the brink of death, but his life was hanging by a thread. Although his Golden Core would likely retain hidden injuries, and with the loss of an arm, even if he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage in the future, he would never regain the dominance he had today. A generation's Heaven's Pride had fallen.

The Quzhou cultivators, already enraged, couldn't contain their fury upon hearing the Demon Race's Soul Transformation Master attacking a junior and even ambushing him, and they shouted back, "You agreed to a Heaven's Pride battle, yet you, a Soul Transformation Master, attacked a junior. Shame on you for bearing the title of Soul Transformation!"

The Young Master of the Su family was particularly infuriated and kept cursing angrily.

He was the most distressed at that moment.

He had begged Chen Qiu to participate, and now Chen Qiu was gravely injured. Even if he survived, his Heaven's Pride journey would be over. If he hadn't pleaded with Chen Qiu to fight, perhaps Chen Qiu wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.

In an instant!

Countless Quzhou cultivators glared at the Demon Race cultivators with righteous indignation, some even starting to fight, but they were stopped by those around them.

Although they were furious, they knew that with three Soul Transformation Masters on the other side, if a full-scale war broke out, they would all die here.

"Hehe."

The Demon Race's strongest Heaven's Pride, though seriously injured, had been saved. Supported by his clansmen, he looked at the Quzhou cultivators with contempt, "Can you only use such weak words to attack people? Where are your swords? Are you afraid to come and fight?"

"Also, Chen Qiu!"

"I hope that the next time we meet, your arm will have regrown, and your other arm will still be intact, so you can still have children."

A burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding Demon Race cultivators. Although they had lost the Heaven's Pride battle, they clearly had the advantage in terms of high-level combatants.

Just then—

"Huff"

Chen Qiu, who had been unconscious with tightly shut eyes, slowly opened them. He pushed away Fatty Dragon and the others' support and sat on the ground, his breath weak as he looked at his injuries. They were indeed severe, and he had never experienced such intense pain.

He had woken up from the pain while unconscious.

As soon as he closed his eyes in his coma, the "Heavenly Missing Person" entry began to take effect, and the doubled pain, combined with the pill keeping him alive, gradually brought him back to consciousness.

"Brother Qiu, you're awake."

Seeing Chen Qiu awake, Fatty Dragon's eyes reddened, and he immediately rushed over, "Let's go, Brother Qiu. We're going home. Once you're healed, we'll slaughter the Demon Race."

"Chen Gongzi..."

The Young Master of the Su family also approached, his face filled with guilt, "I'm sorry. I never expected things to turn out this way. I didn't think the Soul Transformation Masters would target a junior."

Chen Qiu shook his head and gestured for the others to stay quiet, indicating that the commotion was giving him a headache.

He checked his injuries.

His left arm was gone.

The wound on his abdomen was severe, and his intestines were spilling out.

Chen Qiu frowned and picked up the intestines that had fallen out, stuffing them back into his stomach. Then, he took out a Celestial Cultivation Pill from his Spirit Artifact and crushed it, quickly mastering the technique.

With just one hand, he pinched the nearly severed wound on his abdomen, bringing the edges together, and channeled the Heavenly Flame Technique. Flames surged out, sizzling as they sealed the wound and charred the flesh, stopping the bleeding.

He used the heavenly flames to cauterize all his other wounds and then used his divine sense to seal the bleeding areas.

Only then did he look down at the damaged Heavenly Clue Umbrella in his arms, remaining silent for a moment before pushing away the fat dragon who was trying to support him. With the umbrella as a crutch, he staggered to his feet.

The bones in his legs had pierced through, causing excruciating pain and making it difficult for him to stand steadily.

But he remained standing, slowly straightening up and gazing into the distance at the Demon Race cultivator who had been taunting him. He smiled faintly and, leaning on the umbrella, staggered forward.

Although Li Shi'er and the others didn't know what Chen Qiu was planning, they were shocked by his method of treating his injuries and unconsciously retreated to give him space.

"Brother Chen!"

The fat dragon, having realized what Chen Qiu was about to do, immediately understood his intention. Fear flashed in his eyes, and he rushed forward to support Chen Qiu, his voice trembling with tears.

"Brother Chen, let's go home first, please. Your body is in a terrible state right now. If you continue like this, you'll die."

"Let's go home first."

"We can come back for revenge later. A gentleman's revenge is a dish best served cold. Let's go home now, please."

"Get away from me."

Chen Qiu calmly brushed off the fat dragon and turned his head. Due to the severe injury to his neck, his voice sounded hoarse as he said, "Do I have a habit of seeking revenge after ten years?"

"Brother Chen."

The fat dragon, his face filled with terror, hugged Chen Qiu's thigh and screamed hysterically, "Brother Chen, you'll really die if you go now! We've endured so much already, why can't we wait just one more year?"

"Wait until our brothers have grown stronger, and then we'll kill them all!"

"Wait?"

Chen Qiu looked down at the fat dragon, his expression calm as he said softly, "Remember this: from beginning to end, it's you who needs me, not the other way around."

"I've only known you for a few years. Before meeting you, I was invincible in the world."

"If you block my path again, I'll kill you too."

"I'm in a terrible mood right now. Do you understand?"

"I..."

The fat dragon, who had been about to say something else, suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He had never heard Brother Chen speak to him so harshly, and it seemed that indeed, it had always been him who needed Brother Chen.

Without Brother Chen, he was still Brother Chen.

But without him, Brother Chen would still be Brother Chen.

With reddened eyes, the fat dragon turned to look at the scholar who had silently followed Chen Qiu. His voice trembled as he asked, "Scholar, what are you doing? Do you want Brother Chen to go to his death too?"

"Mhm."

The scholar, his expression unreadable, walked alongside Chen Qiu. "I'll die with Brother Chen."

"Brother Chen has suffered such a great humiliation, a humiliation he can't swallow."

"It must be washed away with blood."

"If Brother Chen dies, I'll die with him. He saved my life in the Wentiang Market. In my heart, he's invincible. If he retreats today, he won't be the Brother Chen I know anymore."

"Even if he retreats today, I won't."

"Your waist may bend, but my sword will remain straight."

"What about you?" The fat dragon looked at the scholar's younger brother in disbelief. "Won't you try to stop him? Don't you want to see Brother Chen die?"

The scholar's younger brother, who had been silent for a while, glanced at the fat dragon lying on the ground and shook his head softly.

"I'm not afraid to die."

"Damn it!"

The fat dragon jumped to his feet, his eyes red with anger. He drew a long sword from his embrace and shouted, "Who's afraid to die? Am I? You're making it sound like I'm a coward. I just don't want Brother Chen to die here in vain."

"Since you all want to go!"

"I'll go with you!"

"Brother Chen looks down on me, and so do you. Today, I'll show you who among us fears death the least!"

With red eyes, he followed Chen Qiu, knowing that this journey was a path to certain death. He had been afraid of death before, and he was still afraid, but he didn't want the others to think he was a coward.

He wasn't afraid of death just now.

He just didn't want Brother Chen to die here.

Chen Qiu's pace was slow.

Many cultivators from Quzhou watched him with mixed feelings. His staggering figure seemed like it could be blown away by a gust of wind. They couldn't understand why Chen Qiu, so severely injured, would go to the Demon Race to seek death.

Couldn't he wait until his injuries healed to seek revenge?

Although they were also furious and felt indignant on Chen Qiu's behalf, they knew they were at a disadvantage. If a fight broke out, everyone would die here.

Just then—

"Chen Qiu."

Su Tianshan, the Clan Head of the Su Clan, stepped forward with a complicated expression and shook his head. "I can't let you go. I know this might be the greatest insult you've ever received in your life, but life is long, and we'll encounter many things that displease us."

"And it's only after experiencing setbacks that we can become stronger."

"If you go now, it's certain death."

"I've faced many setbacks on my journey, even greater insults than this, but haven't I still become a Soul Transformation Master?"

"Endure it for now. The storm will pass."

". . ."

Leaning on the umbrella, Chen Qiu, his lips pale from the pain, looked at Su Tianshan blocking his path. After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, "Su Clan Head, it seems you think of Soul Transformation as the final destination.

"It's precisely because you've endured all your life that you've reached the Divine Transformation stage. But can you go any further?"

"You can't take another step."

"Because your fighting spirit is gone."

"As for me..."

"In my life, I've experienced many things, but there's one thing I've never done—I've never knelt."

"As long as I have a way, I'll make sure my opponent dies, even if it costs me everything. I won't let them live."

"What's the point of immortality?"

"I've never cared about that."

"I only care about living my life to the fullest and ensuring my enemies get what they deserve."

"Not allowing them to live forever is what matters most to me."

"If I must die..."

"Then so be it."

Chen Qiu pushed Su Jia-zhu away and stopped talking. The remaining spiritual energy in his body surged out, and dark clouds gathered in the air once more. A fierce storm arrived, but its intensity was significantly weaker than before.

The cold rain lashed against Chen Qiu's body.

He didn't summon any protective spiritual energy.

Clad in tattered clothes and leaning on the Heavenly Clue Umbrella, he staggered towards the Demon Race cultivators in the midst of the storm. The cold rain hitting his wounds brought a refreshing coolness, easing his pain considerably.

Seeing Chen Qiu, who was on the brink of death, still approaching them, the Demon Race cultivators burst into raucous laughter, mocking each other.

"Hey!"

The strongest Demon Race Heaven's Pride, supported by his clansmen, was also filled with ridicule as he laughed: "You don't expect me to fight you again, do you? You fool! Or do you think you can kill me in front of so many people?"

"Or do you feel ashamed and would rather die than live?"

Even the three Divine Transformation powerhouses standing before the hundred thousand Demon Race cultivators had puzzled expressions on their faces. They couldn't understand why Chen Qiu, with such severe injuries, was still approaching them.

The three of them exchanged glances, each seeing the mockery in the others' eyes.

Chen Qiu, relying on his 9.8 billion virtue points, probably thought no one dared to kill him. But he had forgotten one crucial point—with his current injuries, anyone could kill him, and it didn't require any action from those three.

They weren't foolish enough to bear the backlash of 9.8 billion virtue points.

They could easily find someone else to take the fall.

This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate any future troubles!

As the order was given, several Demon Race cultivators with icy expressions stepped forward, prepared to bear the backlash of 9.8 billion virtue points to kill Chen Qiu.

After several hundred breaths,

Chen Qiu finally reached the edge of the deep pit and looked towards the distant crowd of Demon Race cultivators. His injuries had slowed him down significantly, but it was enough.

"Brother Qiu!"

Fat Dragon's eyes reddened, and his voice turned hoarse as he struggled to hold back his emotions: "Why don't you go first? I'll go alone!"

"Hmph."

Chen Qiu shook his head and chuckled lightly, his mind drifting as he took out a token from his chest and toyed with it. Looking towards the distant crowd of Demon Race cultivators, he murmured, "It took me a thousand years to reach the Xuantian Continent."

"Not to be someone's plaything."

"Whoever dares to mess with me, I'll make sure they die, no matter the cost."

He lowered his head to look at the "Virtue Attack Token" in his hand, which had remained silent for a long time, and then he chuckled lightly.

"A life not worth living, yet unable to kneel."

Immediately, he left only 100 million virtue points, allowing the remaining 9.7 billion virtue points to surge into the "Virtue Attack Token" without reservation. The originally simple virtue token instantly turned crimson, emitting a blinding light.

As Chen Qiu tossed the "Virtue Attack Token" into the air,

The next moment—

The blinding crimson light bloomed across the entire world, and all of Quzhou, even Jingzhou, witnessed a dazzling scene. The crimson light erupted in the westernmost part of Quzhou!

The night sky was completely dispelled!

A day as bright as the midday sun!

Thick dark clouds instantly enveloped the hundred thousand Demon Race cultivators and the entire Demon State, and an incredibly terrifying heavenly power pressed everyone except Chen Qiu firmly to the ground!

All the commoners and cultivators in Quzhou, including those in the Demon State, were pinned to the ground by this terrifying heavenly power, unable to move!

Even the Su Family Patriarch, a Divine Transformation stage cultivator, and the three Divine Transformation powerhouses of the Demon Race were no exception.

Many commoners and cultivators near Quzhou in Jingzhou also found themselves pinned to the ground by this terrifying heavenly power, completely unaware of what was happening. They only felt an uncontrollable trembling deep within their souls and shared the same bewilderment in their hearts.

And then!

In the fearful gazes of everyone!

Millions of heavenly punishment thunderbolts enveloped the Demon Race cultivators near Chen Qiu and the entire Demon State continent. Across the heavens and earth, only the heavenly punishment was visible, and the purple-blue lightning formed the dominant melody!

Each heavenly punishment strike was far more powerful than the full force of a Divine Transformation stage cultivator!

"Boom!"

The sound, like the heavens collapsing, reverberated in the ears of all the cultivators and commoners in Quzhou. Even those in the southernmost part of Quzhou could clearly see that in the northwest, there was a sky full of heavenly punishment thunderbolts, carrying an incredibly terrifying heavenly power, executing divine retribution!

Whether in the valleys or on the mountains, the scene was crystal clear.

The heavenly punishment thunderbolts were descending from the Nine Heavens above.

This was a sight never before seen in the Quzhou continent, not even during the battle thousands of years ago that nearly destroyed it. There was no such terrifying pressure!

The entire Quzhou land trembled violently.

Whether asleep or in secluded cultivation, everyone felt the heavenly power weaken slightly and emerged from their homes, their bodies frozen in awe as they looked towards the northwest of Quzhou, where the terrifying heavenly punishment descended from the Nine Heavens!

Their bodies trembled involuntarily.

It was a trembling that came from the depths of their souls. Countless people's eyes were filled with fear, and their hearts echoed the same question.

What happened?

Did the heavens collapse again?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end