Chapter 97: If I Had Known It Would Come to This

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: If I Had Known It Would Come to This

"Big Brother, Purple Cloud Valley won’t let us go. If you ask me, we might as well go all out. Let’s have a good killing spree before we die."

By the volcano’s crater, a man holding a Spirit Fan spoke with a grim expression. They had only committed a minor offense in Purple Cloud Valley and were locked in the Law Enforcement Hall to reflect. But then a Steward rebelled and dragged them into his escape from Purple Cloud Valley.

There was no turning back now. Since joining the rebellion, they had killed disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall and many innocent people. Even if they were taken back to Purple Cloud Valley, death was the only thing that awaited them.

In this current trial, disciples from the other peaks might attack them on sight, but the mission for those Law Enforcement Hall disciples was most likely to eliminate them.

"Yeah, since we have no other choice, we might as well let loose. It’s better than waiting to die in this drafty cave."

The Fourth Brother of the group also had bloodshot eyes. None of this was his fault. The Steward had ordered him to strike, and he had obeyed, only to discover that the disciple he killed wasn’t a traitor; the Steward himself was.

"Since it’s come to this, let’s go wild. But before we target the Purple Cloud Valley cultivators, we need to get revenge for Third Brother."

Seeing that the situation was irreversible, the leader made his decision with a grim look. He felt incredibly wronged. He should have been able to participate in this trial. If it weren’t for the rebellion, after seven days in the Law Enforcement Hall, he would have been eligible for the Inner Sect Disciple assessment. But then the Steward rebelled.

Afterward, Purple Cloud Valley didn’t even bother to investigate and simply launched a bloody hunt. If he hadn’t been so lucky, he would have already been killed by his senior brothers from the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Big Brother is right. The five of us have only survived in Fire Dragon Valley by relying on each other. Now that Third Brother has met an untimely end, of course we must avenge him."

Second Brother and Fourth Brother exchanged a glance. Second Brother stepped forward and spoke calmly. Now that their big brother had agreed, their plan had a much greater chance of success.

"Fifth Brother, your cultivation is the weakest. Go back and guard the cave. The three of us will search the area for trial participants. The nearby Loose Cultivators all know this is our territory, so the attacker must be one of those people from the trial."

The leader quickly made the arrangements. The group split up; three of them flew off, while the last one silently walked toward their so-called cave residence.

Inside the cave, an hour passed quietly. Liu Chen completed another Ren and Du Meridian Small Circulation. After completing five such circulations, one could officially step into the Meridian Passage Realm.

Liu Chen probed with his Spiritual Sense and saw what looked like a tender bamboo shoot rapidly growing within his Ren and Du Meridians. However, upon closer inspection, he realized it was just a phantom image; the bamboo shoot wasn’t real.

Nevertheless, Liu Chen could feel the dense Spiritual Qi from his surroundings pouring endlessly into his Ren and Du Meridians. Under the nourishment of the Spiritual Qi, his once-narrow meridians gradually expanded, growing more resilient.

Once the Ren and Du Meridians were fully opened, the Cyan Lotus Bamboo Leaf Spirit Pattern released a surge of cyan Spiritual Power, which once again stabilized them and completely dispelled the aching and swelling sensation caused by their expansion.

’My body feels lighter. Just by opening the Ren and Du Meridians, my Spiritual Power is already five times what it was at the Body Tempering Peak. Not to mention, after circulating it through the Ren and Du Small Cycle, the quality of my Spiritual Power has improved. With the same amount of Spiritual Power, I can now cast Magic five times, whereas before I could only cast it once.’

Liu Chen exhaled a turbid breath, his eyes filled with excitement. However, this breakthrough had deviated slightly from his plan. The purple residue left from when he had consumed the Purple Bamboo Grass hadn’t been expelled. Fortunately, it didn’t affect his breakthrough into the Meridian Passage Realm.

Liu Chen put away the Jade Sea Pearl. The breakthrough was now complete, so there was no need to let it continue consuming Spirit Stones.

Liu Chen scanned the cave. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he began to realign the Spiritual Veins for his Resting Technique according to the changes brought by reaching Meridian Passage Realm Beginner. The process didn’t take long, only about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

As the more profound Spiritual Veins of the Resting Technique took effect, the fluctuations of Liu Chen’s unbalanced aura returned to normal, stabilizing at the level of a Body Tempering Beginner.

Liu Chen reviewed his existing Magic and found that, aside from the Resting Technique, none of the others needed to be changed. However, with more Spiritual Power to draw upon, even using the same amount as before would make his Magic several times more powerful.

His Casting speed would also be much faster. As a result, the amount of Proficiency he could gain each day would increase by about five times.

’This is a pleasant surprise. Perhaps when I deal with the Nangong Family, I won’t need to use the Magic I learned from Purple Cloud Valley.’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself. Just then, a cursing figure appeared within the range of his Spiritual Sense.

"Damn you, Mo Xuan! So what if I killed a few ants? And that junior sister I saw back then... if I’d known I’d end up like this, I should have just carried her off. At least that would’ve been a bit of fun!"

Inside the cave, Liu Chen glanced at the Snowflake Sword beside him. ’I don’t know who this person is, but since he’s openly insulting Master, he deserves to die. Besides, the fact that he knows Master’s name makes it highly likely he’s a traitor from Purple Cloud Valley.’

"And those four useless fools, they really think they’re my ’Big Brothers’. If it weren’t for my low Cultivation, I could run rampant in Fire Dragon Valley with my status as a Spirit Chef alone!"

Cursing and muttering, the Fifth Brother returned to the cave. The instant he rounded a corner, a Flying Sword shot out like a bolt of lightning, pierced through his heart, and pinned him firmly to the cave wall.

Pain shot through him like lightning. His face went pale in an instant, his eyes filled with terror. He could only watch helplessly as a figure leisurely approached and pulled the snow-white longsword from his body.

"I—"

The Fifth Brother wanted to say something, but the pain made him stop. In the next moment, his vision suddenly shifted, then dropped abruptly to the ground. As his eyes lost focus, he saw his own headless body slowly sliding down the stone wall.

’Three more to go.’

Liu Chen put away his spotless Snowflake Sword and skillfully dealt with the Purple Cloud Valley traitor’s corpse. After using the Soul Crossing Technique to take care of the Ghost Soul, he kept the useful items and left the rest.

He cast a Withering Skill on the traitor’s body, causing the Spiritual Veins within it to wither, then used the Lamp Burning Technique to set the corpse ablaze. Since there was no volcano crater nearby, the process felt a bit rushed.

A short while later, only a pile of ashes remained. Liu Chen used the Artifact Manipulation Technique to toss the ashes out of the cave, letting the wind carry them far away.

’After I get rid of the other three, this place should be safe enough to use for my cultivation.’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. After advancing to the Meridian Passage Realm, he had more options. With more Spiritual Power, he could cast his Magic more times. It would undoubtedly be safer to raise his strength to its peak during the Early Stage of the trial.

’Safety first. I’ll practice the Body Protection Technique.’

Having made his decision, Liu Chen began to practice the Body Protection Technique.

At the distant volcano crater, three figures converged. Second Brother was holding a half-dead Loose Cultivator in his hand.