Chapter 328 - 156: The Death of Huang Tiancheng

"The Memory Stone, the handwritten letter, the account book copies... I have them all right here."

"If you don’t confess, I can show these to all of them."

Huang Tiancheng shuddered.

He knew he could no longer deny it.

After a long silence, he finally raised his head.

He looked at Situ Lie, at the Situ Family disciples who had once treated him with the utmost respect, and at the people who had once believed in his "Unparalleled Loyalty and Righteousness."

"Yes..."

His voice was hoarse, as if squeezed from his throat.

"I was the one who killed Situ Hong."

"That day, he was in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Core Formation Middle Stage. I mixed Vein-Eroding Powder into his Healing Elixirs..."

"When he emerged from seclusion, his Meridians were damaged. I seized the opportunity to strike..."

"...and made it look like a Qigong Deviation."

The entire crowd erupted in an uproar!

"You animal!"

"You monster!"

"And to think the Situ Family raised you for forty-seven years!"

Situ Lie trembled all over, pointing a finger at Huang Tiancheng, unable to utter a single word.

Huang Tiancheng continued, "Situ Ming is my son with my sister-in-law..."

"I killed Situ Hong because he had already discovered the affair. To ensure that Ming’er could take over and control the Situ Family in the future, I had no choice but to act..."

"It’s just a pity that Ming’er still died in the end..."

Before his voice had even faded, a figure shot out from the crowd!

It was a young man in his early twenties, his eyes bloodshot, a longsword in his hand.

"Huang Tiancheng—"

He thrust his sword at Huang Tiancheng!

The tip of the sword sank into flesh, and fresh blood splattered.

Huang Tiancheng let out a muffled grunt, but he couldn’t move.

His Cultivation had been sealed, leaving him with no power to resist.

The young man pulled the sword out and stabbed again!

"This strike is for my grandfather!"

Another stab!

"This one is for my father!"

And another!

"And this is for the Situ Family!"

Then, more and more Situ Family disciples rushed forward.

Fists, feet, knives, and swords rained down on Huang Tiancheng.

"Animal!"

"Filthy traitor!"

"Kill him!"

Huang Tiancheng collapsed in a pool of blood, screaming incessantly.

"Mercy... Mercy..."

No one stopped.

The blows grew heavier, the blades more vicious.

「An incense stick’s time later.」

Huang Tiancheng lay motionless in the pool of blood.

It was impossible to tell how many times he’d been stabbed, or how many of his bones had been broken.

Even in death, his eyes remained open.

Liang Cheng stood to the side, watching the scene unfold.

’Killing the body and destroying the soul.’

To have Huang Tiancheng’s reputation utterly ruined in front of everyone, and to let the very people he had deceived and betrayed finish him with their own hands.

It was far more satisfying than simply killing him with a single slash.

Situ Lie walked up to Liang Cheng and bowed deeply.

"Liang’s Direct Disciple, the Situ Family will never forget this immense kindness for the rest of our lives."

Liang Cheng waved his hand dismissively.

"There’s no need."

"I was just settling my own grudge."

He turned, about to board the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, but Situ Lie called out to stop him.

"Liang Zhenchuan, if it weren’t for you, my Situ Family would have remained deceived by that filthy traitor Huang Tiancheng. Since he is now dead, why not take the things he left behind? Please accept them as a token of the Situ Family’s gratitude."

Hearing this, Liang Cheng paused.

He turned back to look at Situ Lie.

"The things Huang Tiancheng left behind?"

Situ Lie nodded and bowed. "Indeed."

"For forty-seven years, that filthy traitor used his position as an Honored Guest Elder to control the Situ Family and secretly hoard countless resources."

"Now that he has been brought to justice, these things should rightfully belong to Liang’s Direct Disciple. If you hadn’t exposed the truth, my Situ Family would still be in the dark."

Liang Cheng pondered for a moment.

Huang Tiancheng had lived for over two hundred years and was a Fake Pill Cultivator; he truly might have had some valuable items. Liang Cheng hadn’t yet had a chance to carefully examine the few Jade Bottles of Elixirs and Jade Slips he’d taken from him earlier.

"Lead the way."

...

「The Situ Family’s Inner Treasury.」

In a hidden underground chamber, a heavy stone door was covered in Prohibition Runes. Situ Lie took out a Token and pressed it against the stone door.

The Runes lit up, and the stone door slowly swung open.

"This is Huang Tiancheng’s private treasury. None of us have ever been inside."

Liang Cheng stepped inside.

The chamber wasn’t large, about thirty feet across, with its four walls inlaid with Luminous Pearls that brightly illuminated the space.

Several rows of wooden shelves lined the walls, piled high with various objects.

Jade Bottles, Jade Slips, ores, Demon Beast Materials, and a few Weapons.

Liang Cheng’s gaze swept over them as he extended his Divine Sense.

After a moment, he frowned slightly.

Most of these items were ordinary.

The few bottles of Elixirs, while valuable, were nothing special to a Core Formation Realm expert.

As for the few Jade Slips, they recorded Cultivation Techniques like the Profound Yin Claw, which were useless to him.

There were a few pieces of ore of decent quality, but they were far inferior to the Star Meteorite Iron his master had given him.

However, an iron box in the corner caught his attention.

The iron box wasn’t large, about a foot square. It was pitch-black and covered with intricate Runes.

Liang Cheng walked over and crouched down to inspect it.

The box had no lock, but he could faintly sense the fluctuations of a Prohibition.

He raised his hand, and his Pill Qi reached out.

The Prohibition wasn’t strong; he broke it in a matter of moments.

Opening the iron box revealed only three items inside.

A Jade Slip.

A piece of Beast Hide the size of his palm.

And a Jade Box, also palm-sized.

Liang Cheng first picked up the Jade Slip and extended his Divine Sense into it.

The next moment, his pupils contracted.

Recorded within the Jade Slip was an incomplete Cultivation Technique.

The contents were chaotic, clearly pieced together from multiple sources.

But the aura of this Cultivation Technique...

He closed his eyes, sensing it carefully.

Inside his body, the Crossing the Sea True Intent Fragment suddenly trembled slightly.

’They came from the same source!’

Liang Cheng’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.

This Jade Slip actually recorded another part of the Crossing the Sea True Intent!

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and continued to examine it.

At the end of the Jade Slip, there was a line of small text:

"This Cultivation Technique Fragment was obtained from the ruins on the outskirts of Dragon Burial Island. It is rumored that the complete Cultivation Technique is hidden in a Heritage Mansion on the island. Alas, my Cultivation was insufficient, and I could not venture deeper. If a fated one obtains this, perhaps you can investigate."

’Dragon Burial Island?’

A thought stirred in Liang Cheng’s mind, and he secretly committed the location to memory.

He then put down the Jade Slip and picked up the piece of Beast Hide.

A simple map was drawn on the Beast Hide, showing the terrain of Dragon Burial Island. A red line snaked toward a certain point in the center of the island.

At the end of the red line, a stone stele was drawn.

Next to the stele were three words—

"Cross-Sea Cliff."

Liang Cheng stared at the three words, lost in thought.

Cross-Sea Cliff.

Crossing the Sea True Intent.

’The name is definitely not a coincidence.’

He put away the Beast Hide and picked up the last item, the Jade Box.

The Jade Box felt warm and smooth to the touch, and a faint Pill fragrance wafted from it.

Opening it, he saw three longan-sized Elixirs lying inside. They were golden all over, with cloud-like Pill Patterns.

The moment the Elixirs were revealed, the entire chamber was bathed in a brilliant golden light.

Liang Cheng recognized these Elixirs.

Essence Gathering Pills.

These Pills could help a Core Formation Cultivator stabilize their Cultivation, and a single one was worth a fortune.

Liang Cheng closed the Jade Box, placed the items into his Storage Pouch, and then turned to face Situ Lie.

"I’ll take these things."

Situ Lie nodded hastily.

"Of course, of course."

Liang Cheng paused for a moment.

"As for the rest of the items in Huang Tiancheng’s private treasury, the Situ Family can deal with them as you see fit."

Situ Lie was taken aback, then overjoyed.

"Thank you, Liang’s Direct Disciple!"

Liang Cheng said no more and stepped out of the chamber.

...

「Aboard the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle.」

Liang Cheng sat cross-legged, took out the Jade Slip, and examined it in detail.

He had already cultivated the Crossing the Sea True Intent Fragment to Perfection and was long familiar with its operational methods. Now, comparing it with the contents of this new Jade Slip, many parts that were once vague suddenly became clear.

Unfortunately, it was still just a Fragment.

Liang Cheng put away the Jade Slip and took out the Beast Hide Map.

Dragon Burial Island.

Cross-Sea Cliff.

He gazed toward the northeast.

’After I’ve visited the Sect’s Scripture Pavilion, I must go and investigate.’