Chapter 5: Where in Life Do We Not Meet Again?
Chapter 5: Where in Life Do We Not Meet Again?
The Su Clan members desperately tried to break through the sealed entrance.
The resounding sound of hammers striking echoed incessantly.
On the other side, over ninety corpses of the Su Clan members were piled up.
Some had been gnawed to the point where their bones were exposed.
Finally...
With the combined efforts of several experts, the entrance was shattered.
"It's definitely here!"
Su Yunhe was overjoyed.
Twenty-eight people gathered at the cave entrance, filled with excitement as they peered inside.
At this moment, they completely forgot the sorrow of losing their loved ones.
Monarch's Heritage!
For a small family in the remote Verdant Wave City, this was like a figure above the clouds!
Any monarch was a legend in the Jianghu, a dream for the youngsters.
This could be the hope for the family's rise!
As they were filled with joy and daydreaming...
Suddenly, from the broken entrance, a thick mist emerged, moving swiftly.
As soon as it appeared, it enveloped the entire entrance.
Su Yunhe and Su Changying were at the forefront, directly shrouded by the mist.
The mist surged, engulfing all twenty-eight people at the entrance!
The mist was impenetrable.
Heart-wrenching screams reverberated throughout the heavens and earth.
No one was spared.
Everyone's exposed skin began to rot.
Especially their eyes.
Instantly, the twenty-eight people fell to the ground, writhing in agony and screaming in agony. This included the clan leader, all the elders, and the honored ones...
As well as all the direct descendants who had survived until now.
The toxic mist took effect quickly. The screams and struggles lasted only a short time before they stopped.
Over twenty people lay on the ground, motionless, their bodies already starting to rot slowly.
Among them was Su Fei, the first heir of the Su Clan and the older brother of Su Yue.
Seeing his younger brother obtain such crucial information, Su Fei's heart was filled with anxiety.
Fearing that his younger brother might use this opportunity to surpass him, this time, he cried and insisted on joining the treasure hunt to contribute to the family.
In the end, he turned into a pile of mud here.
Silently and without a trace.
Only two people remained alive: Su Yue, who was in charge of guarding the corpses, and his younger cousin, Su Yun.
Now, the two brothers stood stiffly, their faces filled with shock and terror.
Their eyes were hollow as they stared at the corpses scattered at the entrance of the cave.
Those corpses were rotting.
They were their family.
Father, mother, grandfather, uncles, and cousins.
This involved top-secret matters, with immense benefits at stake.
Even the in-laws were kept in the dark until now.
This time, the Su Clan was almost completely wiped out!
The crucial question was, they still didn't know why this had happened.
How could this be?
The two of them were dumbfounded, their minds blank.
Looking at the twenty-eight corpses at the entrance, they felt like their entire world had exploded in their minds.
They couldn't comprehend how this could have happened.
Just now... there were over a hundred people!
How did they suddenly...
Gone?
The wind howled through the trees, sounding like the wails of ghosts.
In this remote and desolate place, the atmosphere was chilling.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
Several eerie and chilling cries added to the sense of terror.
It was an unknown strange bird, attracted by the scent of blood and corpses.
Su Yue and Su Yun shivered, snapping out of their daze. Their legs went soft, and they crawled forward, wailing.
"What happened? What's wrong with all of you?"
"What happened?"
"Dad! What's wrong with you? Say something!"
No matter how they called out, the people on the ground would never respond again.
The two of them cried and wailed, tears streaming down their faces.
Amidst the howling wind, a voice suddenly sounded.
"It's me."
Fang Che's face wore a friendly smile, his hands clasped behind his back, dressed in black with subtle golden patterns.
The patterns glowed faintly as he moved.
He strolled out of the cave, stepping on Su Yue's father, Su Yunhe's head, and then on Su Changying's head.
Crunch. Crunch.
He walked over the heads, and flesh fell from his footsteps.
But Fang Che's expression remained gentle, soft, and calm.
Approaching Su Yue, he smiled warmly at Su Yue, who stared at him with fiery eyes, grinding his teeth. "Fang... Fang Che? What are you doing here?"
Fang Che smiled and replied, "Because you're here, and you're my best friend, my brother. After all these years, I've been indebted to you, so of course, I came to repay you."
"To repay you?" Su Yue's bewildered mind suddenly cleared for a moment.
He remembered Fang Che's words.
"This is a small way for a younger brother to repay his elder brother Su for taking care of him all these years."
He finally realized.
"You...you..." Su Yue was so choked up that he couldn't speak, "This is all you, your scheme? Your methods are so vicious!"
Fang Che smiled faintly, a flash of light glinted off the long blade in his hand.
Blood-red light burst forth.
Su Yun, who was still dazed on the side, was suddenly knocked to the ground by Fang Che's blade.
His head rolled away, spinning.
Su Yun was only a Martial Apprentice, and his cultivation was lower than Fang Che's before the breakthrough. This trip was merely to let him see the world, and with this sudden turn of events, his mind was in turmoil. He was still in a daze when Fang Che's blade took his life.
Fang Che wiped the blade on Su Yue's clothes, then casually pointed the tip of the blade at Su Yue's right knee, and said softly, "When brothers talk heart-to-heart, it's a bit uncomfortable to have an outsider listening in, don't you think?"
His voice was gentle.
Su Yue's body shuddered.
His dazed gaze shifted to his brother's corpse, the fresh blood flowing from his neck, spreading across the rocks and dripping off the edges of the stones.
Drip, drip.
His eyes met his brother's, which were still wide open in confusion, even in death.
Su Yue's entire body began to tremble.
He turned to look at Fang Che, his gaze filled with infinite fear.
"Demon!"
He roared.
He reached for his sword, but when he extended his hand, it touched something sticky.
It was his brother's blood.
Suddenly, he felt like everything before him was so unreal.
"Demon!" Fang Che smiled, "Are you worse than the Su Family?"
Su Yue roared and drew his sword, but Fang Che, without hesitation, stabbed his knee. The bright blade pierced through, and blood-stained threads emerged from the wound.
Fang Che had been aiming for that spot all along.
In his fury, Su Yue charged forward, but instead, he crashed into the blade.
A miserable scream escaped him, and a rock smashed into his mouth.
With a 'puh' sound, the shattered rock and teeth fell together.
Su Yue fell back, one foot firmly stepping on his chest, below his throat.
The foot pressed against his throat, leaning forward slightly.
The pressure caused his Adam's apple to sink slightly.
"Let's talk, brother. By the way, help me sort out my thoughts."
Fang Che said sincerely, "Elder Brother Su, I need you."
Su Yue's entire being crumbled.
Hearing Fang Che's gentle and sincere voice, his body couldn't help but tremble.
He never expected that this younger brother, who had always listened to him without question, would suddenly turn into such a vicious person.
His entire being exuded a coldness that treated life as insignificant.
Now, he had forgotten his hatred, only fear remained.
Shivering, he asked, "Say...say what?"
"Say the Su Family's identity, your purpose, and from the time you were twelve when you first contacted me, how you've been influencing me, and what you ultimately want to do."
Fang Che tapped the blade against Su Yue, making a 'pa pa' sound, "Say what I want to hear, do you understand?"
Su Yue's lips trembled.
Fang Che sighed, "I think you're too much. Using a child who hasn't experienced much, exploiting a child's natural rebelliousness, taking advantage of a child living with his in-laws and feeling like an outsider, isn't this all too..."
Su Yue's lips trembled, the intense pain making it hard for him to think straight.
Fang Che, on the side, sorted through the spoils.
The harvest from Su Yue was indeed bountiful.
He had no reservations about Su Yue; even if Su Yue's cultivation was several levels higher than his, he wasn't afraid.
Moreover, this pampered and spoiled person had a poor temperament.
His mind, already shattered by a series of blows, was now further crippled with a crippled leg. Retaliation was out of the question.
More importantly...when he killed Su Yun and injured Su Yue, he clearly felt the Quintessence Worm within him stir.
A surge of bloodthirsty malice rose, fueling his killing intent.
Fang Che's heart trembled, as if understanding something.
"So that's how it is."
He immediately used the Infinite Scripture, suppressing the Quintessence Worm, and his mind became clear.
Then, he muttered to himself, "So that's how it is!"
...
After a moment, as Fang Che pressured the broken Su Yue, the latter finally began to speak.
In the vast network of martial families, the Su and Fang Clans shared a common trait—they were both esteemed Ninth-Rank Martial Families. However, their fates diverged when the Fang Clan suffered a significant setback during an unfortunate incident twenty years ago, causing a substantial decline in their power.
For many years, they teetered on the brink of demotion.
Meanwhile, the Su Clan had secretly joined the ranks of the Yixin Sect, a subordinate faction of the Yiwo Sect, and with their support, maintained stability.
Su Yue harbored ambitions, and if he could absorb the Fang Clan's influence, they would potentially ascend to the Eighth-Rank.
There are twelve ranks within the Martial Families, with the weakest being the newly established Twelfth-Rank, followed by the Eleventh-Rank, which is considered the branching phase. The Tenth-Rank is equivalent to an enhanced Eleventh-Rank, and the Ninth-Rank is the consolidation phase.
The Ninth-Rank Martial Families are already quite extensive, with a population of several hundred bloodline members and the presence of Martial Ancestors.
Twenty years ago, one of the Fang Clan's Martial Ancestors, Fang Xingmeng, perished unexpectedly while on a mission.
Fang Qingyun, the Fang Clan's martial genius, and his close friend, Fang Zhengru, both went missing during a trip.
Two years later, Fang Qingyun returned with a child, Fang Che.
This event caused quite a stir at the time.
Fast forward to the present...
The Su Clan launched a multi-pronged attack on the Fang Clan, suppressing them in business and blocking them in martial endeavors, even going as far as obstructing their duties at the Guardian Hall.
As Fang Qingyun's martial prowess grew over the years, gradually becoming a pillar of strength, the Su Clan began to kidnap the then ten-year-old Fang Che.
Using subtle hints and suggestions, they successfully implanted a sense of 'living under another's thumb' in the rebellious youth's heart.
This sentiment naturally bred dissatisfaction and resentment towards his maternal family.
Influencing Fang Qingyun in this way—though the child was disobedient, he was still her biological son; and when scolded by his maternal family, he couldn't help but feel a sense of injustice.
So, over the years, as an unruly child constantly stirred up trouble, the Fang Clan could hardly be described as happy.
On one hand, the Clan faced the crisis of demotion, and on the other, the pressure of missions loomed. Moreover, they had to constantly appease the unruly child.
Then, an opportunity presented itself to the Fang Clan. By a twist of fate, they obtained an incomplete treasure map.
Su Yue once again began to influence Fang Che...
And this was their last chance.
A subordinate of the Yiwo Sect was passing through Verdant Wave City, searching for the Five Spirit Seed.
The Su Clan seized the opportunity and pushed Fang Che forward.
If he succeeded, he would become a mere dog of the Yixin Sect, and upon completing a few missions, they would immediately report him. This would not only strike down the Fang Clan but also earn them the reward of guarding the Guardian Hall.
If he failed, Fang Che would die on the spot.
Fang Qingyun would undoubtedly go insane—her son, dead in his paternal family's hands, how could she not react?
Hence, this was a situation that favored the Su Clan no matter what.
At the very least, it would cause discord within the Fang Clan, severely damaging their morale.
After the Fang Clan's morale took a hit, they would inevitably fail the Guardian Hall evaluation, dropping to the Tenth-Rank. Consequently, the Su Clan and others would naturally divide the Fang Clan's Ninth-Rank resources.
With the Su Clan secretly backed by the Yixin Sect, they would undoubtedly gain more benefits.
The entire plan was meticulously crafted by the Su Clan.
However, no one in the Su Clan could have predicted what happened next.
This plan, which should have gone smoothly, took an unexpected turn.
Fang Che, the manipulated fool, suddenly threw a curveball by revealing the inheritance of the Martial Ancestor Swordslayer—an absolute temptation for the Su Clan.
As a result, the Su Clan's elite, in a daze, collectively perished in these wild mountains and plains.
Moreover, no one knew about this.
All the people in the know were gathered!—the Su Clan didn't feel at ease leaving someone in the know within their clan, because the messenger from the Yixin Sect was about to arrive.
The messenger had many tricks up his sleeve. What if he was tricked and this intelligence about the 'Martial Ancestor Swordslayer's inheritance' fell into the Su Clan's hands?
Such a twist of fate!
Who could have predicted that a car, speeding steadily on the highway, would suddenly, without any mishap, make a sharp turn and veer off the road? And to top it off, this ditch led directly to the cliffs of hell!
...
(End of Chapter)
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