Chapter 169 Reenactment of the Story Quest

"Buzz..."

The harsh, grating sound of flowing spiritual consciousness echoed continuously through the porch.

The young boy, bleeding from his nose and mouth, stared with eyes full of frigid, murderous intent at the naked young man amidst the ruins, his expression frenzied and blood-red.

Invisible spiritual consciousness transformed into a blood-colored web of threads that sliced through the air with a shrill whine, hurtling directly toward the naked young man who had just spat out a mouthful of blood from the rubble.

"Young Master Liang, look out!"
"Bastard!"
"Young hero, show mercy!"
"Spare him!"

Hearing the sound of spiritual consciousness tearing through the air, Xun Ri and Yun Fei's expressions changed drastically. With desperate cries, bright golden radiance flared in their palms as they lunged forward, attempting to stop Little San.

Master Kongkong, standing in the courtyard, saw the frenzied Little San and his face shifted completely. He too leaped forward to intercept the boy. Monk Wusheng rushed out from the house, likewise hurling himself toward Little San in an effort to prevent him from killing the naked youth.

Yunying squatted beside the white Heavenly Hound, her dark, glossy eyes darting back and forth between the crazed Little San and the anxious expressions of Xun Ri and Yun Fei. A mischievous glint flashed in her bright eyes as her little hand softly patted the hound's head.

"Roar..."

At the tap of Yunying's tiny hand, the Heavenly Hound's body suddenly shuddered. The dog, which had been no larger than a puppy, instantly expanded in size. Opening its jaws, it let out a fierce roar that reverberated through the entire courtyard. A beam of spiritual energy flared within its maw, and with a swift toss of its head, the projectile shot straight up into the high air.

"Boom..."

The spiritual energy projectile exploded mid-air, and the dispersing spiritual power enveloped the entire area in the blink of an eye.

"Heehee," Yunying watched as the spiritual energy blanketed the scene, her exquisite, carved-jade face lighting up with excitement. She happily stroked the Heavenly Hound, which had already shrunk back to its normal size.

Under the shroud of spiritual power, the situation on the field abruptly shifted. The angry shouts and cries of alarm instantly ceased, leaving only the faint, microscopic sound of Little San driving his spiritual consciousness web to slice through the air.

The brilliant light in the palms of Xun Ri and Yun Fei dimmed, and their rushing footsteps suddenly halted. Enveloped by the diffusing spiritual power, a dazed look rose in their eyes, leaving them standing frozen in place, utterly at a loss...

Monk Kongkong also stumbled underfoot, but after a flash of shock passed through his eyes, clarity returned to his gaze. Through years of bitter asceticism, Kongkong's Zen heart was rock-solid; facing the Heavenly Hound's attack, he managed to preserve his inner clarity and remained unaffected by the Hound Soul technique.

The haze in the eyes of the naked youth in the rubble grew even heavier. Though his cultivation was quite impressive, having suffered both a *Destruction of the Divine Change* and a *Hound Soul Sound* back-to-back was more than even a Great Perfection cultivator could withstand. Subjected now to this latest attack from the Heavenly Hound, his mind was driven to the verge of complete bewilderment.

***

Barely managing to endure this wave of attacks from the Heavenly Hound, the blurriness in the naked youth's eyes receded slightly. As he regained his vision, he inwardly cursed with venomous hatred. Once he turned the tables, he would surely find people to grind everyone in this place to dust. To dare injure this young master twice—everyone here must die, everyone in this district must die, and everyone in this wretched, declining little realm must die as well!

"I will make sure none of you have a burial place!" the naked youth roared, his upper body bare, a trace of blood staining the corner of his mouth, his face twisted in a hideous expression.

"Go to hell!" Little San's furious roar once again resounded across the courtyard.

A sheet of blood-colored thread web descended squarely over the furious-looking naked youth.

"Destruction of the Divine Change!"

As the haze in his eyes cleared further and he was finally able to see the scene before him, the twisted expression vanished from the naked youth's face, replaced by utter shock. A gasp escaped his lips, accompanied by a pang of deep regret—could the person he had just offended possibly be more than just an ordinary peasant village girl?

Little San gave the youth no chance to ponder. Seeing that the *Destruction of the Divine Change* had enveloped him, Little San tightened his spiritual consciousness, and the blood-red web violently constricted, sinking entirely into the youth's skull.

"Destruction... of the... Divine Change..."

The naked youth knelt on the ground, uttering the words with extreme difficulty. Yet judging by the look in his eyes, his consciousness had already completely faded into darkness.

As the youth's voice fell silent, trickles of fresh blood mixed with white matter began to seep out from his face, his forehead, and between the roots of his hair...

Just as the members of the Huasheng Temple regained their spiritual senses, blood had already begun to ooze from the youth's forehead. With looks of astonishment, Xun Ri and Yun Fei stared at the young man whose head had suddenly split apart, falling into a stunned silence as if unable to believe that Young Master Liang, who had swaggered so proudly through the Huasheng Temple, could simply die just like that...

Monk Kongkong glanced at the blood-stained boy, whose expression had now returned to a calm state. A flicker of worry crossed the monk's eyes as he held one palm upright before his chest and softly chanted a Buddhist invocation, "Amitabha."

Jiang Yan reached out, scooped Yunying into his arms, and gently covered her eyes. Although Yunying was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she was still a child at heart; it was better for her to see as little of this bloody carnage as possible. Otherwise, if it left a shadow on the little girl's mind, making further progress on her cultivation path would become exceedingly difficult in the future.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Little San suddenly bent over, placing his hands on his knees as he gasped heavily for breath. Recklessly unleashing the *Destruction of the Divine Change* had severely damaged his sea of consciousness, and the mental pressure had ruptured his meridians, causing blood to stream from all seven of his facial orifices, truly turning him into a blood-soaked figure.

Yan Feng strode forward swiftly, threw an arm around the blood-drenched boy to support him, and pressed a spiritual pill into the youth's mouth, saying with resolute firmness, "Swallow it immediately."

Little San's lips quivered, a trace of gratitude flashing in his eyes as he looked at Yan Feng. "Senior Brother, this is the pill you went through such great difficulty to get from Aunt Wan..."

"Just eat it already," Yan Feng scolded with a wry smile, giving the boy's back a pat. The boy's body stiffened momentarily as the medicinal pellet slid down into his belly, nourishing the meridians that had been nearly destroyed by his overexertion of spiritual consciousness.

"Hehe, hehe..."

The black-clad Xun Ri suddenly let out a shrill laugh, pointing toward the two black-clad youths standing in the distant porch and sneering sharply.

"Liang Peng, Sun Leng, Young Master Liang is dead! He died less than half an arrow's flight away from the two of you! I know what was going on in your minds—you just wanted Young Master Liang to suffer a little setback, didn't you? What a pity, though: Young Master Liang is dead. Liang Peng, Sun Leng, the two of you had better prepare yourselves for the Liang family's retaliation, hehe."

***

"Little Monk Kongkong, you haven't introduced these people to us yet. Which grand sect do these high-ranking cultivators come from? Well, Little Monk Kongkong?"

Xun Ri's gaze turned glacial as he stared fixedly at Jiang Yan, his tone icy.

A look of difficult hesitation passed across Monk Kongkong's brow, and a fine layer of sweat broke out on his forehead once again. Yet, faced with Xun Ri's questioning, he dared not remain silent. "Young Master Xun, this is Sect Master Jiang of Mount Hua, a friend of Uncle Kongse and a true friend of our temple in the Heavenly Peak Realm."

"A lay practitioner?"

Noticing that Kongkong addressed Jiang Yan as a lay practitioner, a trace of surprise crossed Xun Ri's brow. But the expression vanished almost instantly. Although very few cultivators were accorded the title of lay practitioner by Huasheng Temple, now that Young Master Liang had been killed, what did it matter if he was a lay practitioner? He would still have to pay the price for Young Master Liang's death.

"Hehe, I say, Little Monk Kongkong, surely you knew Young Master Liang's background, didn't you? Now that Young Master Liang has died here, even if the temple chooses to take no action, could it be that the Realm Lord of the Marvelous Commerce Realm will also let it go? Hmph! When the Marvelous Commerce Realm Lord is enraged, not just a mere lay practitioner, but even the Lord of the Heavenly Peak Realm himself would find it hard to endure."

Yun Fei, dressed in black beside him, chimed in abruptly, his tone heavily laden with threats.

"Hehe, the Liang family of the Marvelous Commerce Realm! Sun Leng, Liang Peng, you two bastards—guarding the gate like this, letting you come out with us for seasoning was truly like having my eyes blinded in my past life! Young Master Liang died right here; Young Master Yun and I will naturally be fine, but the two of you... hehe, just wait for the wrath of the Marvelous Commerce Realm Lord!"

While Xun Ri in black was deep in contemplation, the black-clad Yun Fei was arrogant and brimming with anger, venting his frustration at the two slightly panicked youths standing in the porch.

The black-clad youth called Liang Peng had a layer of soft fuzz on his upper lip, appearing to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. His face now resembled a bitter melon as he spoke with a troubled tone, "Brother Yun, none of us expected things to turn out like this! That kid was merely a first-grade initial-stage talisman master—who could have foreseen that he would be able to slaughter a late-Foundation-Establishment cultivator?"

The youth called Sun Leng maintained an icy expression, raising an eyebrow with utter disdain. "Yun Fei, you might be afraid of Young Master Liang, but I am not! His old man is a sixth-grade realm lord, and my old man is a sixth-grade realm lord too. Hmph! Besides, what does Young Master Liang's death have to do with me, Sun Leng? It was merely some insignificant sect of this minor realm—what business is it of mine?"

In Jiang Yan's arms, Yunying curled her little lip in absolute disdain, puffing out her cheeks as she said, "Eldest Senior Brother, should I let Little White beat them up? They are so utterly arrogant."

Jiang Yan frowned as he pondered. Judging by Little San's expression, Little Si must have suffered some humiliation. Yet, right or wrong, Little San had now killed a man—and an outsider who had been found naked within his own disciple's home. As the master of a sect, if he could not stand up for his disciples, the hearts of the sect members would inevitably turn away from him. But if he did step forward, just how deep were the backgrounds of these youths from Huasheng Temple?

"Ding! Triggered plot mission—Huasheng Temple Grudges."

The long-absent voice of the Sect Master System rang out in Jiang Yan's ears. Since the completion of the last plot mission, this second plot quest had finally begun.

"Ding! Automatically accepted the first stage of the plot mission—Blood Splatters the Linqing Mansion."

Jiang Yan frowned slightly. *Blood Splatters the Linqing Mansion*... could it be that someone from Mount Hua was destined to die in Linqing Mansion this time?

The scenery before his eyes shifted momentarily, and a transparent information interface materialized in Jiang Yan's field of view. Following his thoughts, the details of the plot mission unfolded across the translucent screen.