With that, Chu Yuan took out the Storage Bag Fang Henian had given him.
Under the confused gazes of the evil cultivators, he explained:
“After I possessed this boy’s body, I immediately found a mine nearby and traded that information to the Crown Princess. In two days, I made over 10 million Spirit Stones and even befriended the Immortal Dynasty. Look at you lot… tsk, tsk, tsk! “
As soon as he said this, the evil cultivators were dumbfounded.
‘What? He made over 10 million Spirit Stones just by trading information?’
‘He didn’t just avoid offending the Immortal Dynasty, he actually befriended them?’
‘Such methods…’
The evil cultivators couldn’t help but be fully convinced.
“As expected of Elder Shenbao! Your methods are truly brilliant!”
Outside the cave, Ji Xuanyuan’s expression was grave.
Listening to their conversation, she was finally certain: this youth, who bore a slight resemblance to her Junior Brother, was merely a pathetic soul possessed by an Elder of the Demonic Path.
Ji Xuanyuan’s slender hand tightened and then released her sleeve. Her expression was incredibly complex, mixed with a hint of bitterness.
‘Is there a possibility — could this be the rebirth of that Junior Brother I killed?’
‘Is he pretending to be a possessed Elder just to trick the Demon Path Alliance for information?’
Despite having dismissed the idea before, she watched the cave with a final lingering hope.
Inside, facing the admiring gazes of the cultists, Chu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
“In any case, leave the matter of the Dragon Egg to me. Your only job is to help me sweep away any potential competitors. Remember! Don’t make it too obvious!”
“Yes, Elder Shenbao!”
Under Chu Yuan’s display of power, Chi Lian and the others had no choice but to admire the Elder’s methods.
Having settled the matter, Chu Yuan turned around. His gaze instinctively landed on the hook-nosed cultivator huddled in the corner. The man was already severely injured, and under Chu Yuan’s gaze, he trembled so violently he nearly collapsed.
Remembering how his own Black Dragon Emperor had been mistreated by this beast in the past, Chu Yuan walked toward him with slow steps.
The hook-nosed cultivator knelt on the ground, shivering. “E — Elder, have mercy! This lowly one was blind and offended you outside. I beg for your forgiveness…”
Chu Yuan’s gaze grew cold.
He could let the others go for now, but not this man. He raised his hand and pointed at the iron whip on the man’s waist.
“That whip. Let me see it.”
“Uh… yes!”
Confused but not daring to resist, the hook-nosed cultivator hurriedly unfastened the iron whip and presented it with both hands. The whip was pitch-black, covered in barbs and faint traces of dried blood.
Chu Yuan took the whip and weighed it in his hand. “A fine whip. I wonder how effective it is?”
Looking down at the kneeling man, he suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, yet it sent an inexplicable chill down everyone’s spine.
The hook-nosed cultivator trembled. “Since you like it so much, Elder, please take it — “
Whoosh!
Before he could finish his sentence, the iron whip tore through the air with a whistling sound and lashed down viciously.
“Aaaaah!!!”
A piercing scream echoed through the cave. With every strike, a bloody gash tore open. The barbs ripped through flesh, sending sprays of blood into the air. The hook-nosed cultivator rolled on the ground, wailing as tears and snot flowed freely. He didn’t dare fight back, only begging for his life.
“Elder, have mercy! Please, have mercy! What did I do wrong — “
Chu Yuan smiled. “I don’t like the look of you. Is that not reason enough?”
He continued to strike him, blow after blow. Ten lashes. Twenty lashes. Thirty lashes.
Everyone else in the cave was as silent as a cicada in winter. This method of whipping was precise and cruel; not a single strike was fatal, yet each one inflicted pain that cut deep into the marrow.
Ji Xuanyuan’s Divine Sense watched through the Image Retention Stone hidden nearby. Seeing the miserable state of the evil cultivator, her eyes narrowed.
Such ruthless methods… she had seen them before in her past life, used by the murderous overlords of the Demonic Path.
However, she had never seen them used by her Junior Brother. She remembered a day in her past life when the three of them — master and disciples — were hunting down a group of evil cultivators.
After capturing the leader, her Junior Brother looked at the man’s battered state and showed a glimmer of pity.
“Grandmaster, this man is already in such a state. Should we… heal his wounds? Otherwise, he might die on the way, and we won’t be able to interrogate him.”
“Heal him?” the Sword Venerable had harshly scolded. “Such an evil cultivator deserves to die! Yuan’er, you are the Sacred Son of Taixu. How can you lead the Sacred Realm in the future if you possess such womanly benevolence?!”
The boy had lowered his head, not daring to speak further. But later, she had seen him sneakily give the man a pain-relieving pill. Back then, she had sighed in her heart.
‘With such a temperament, how can he survive in this cruel world?’
Later… her Junior Brother died. He died by her sword.
Ji Xuanyuan closed her eyes, suppressing the memories. When she opened them again, her gaze was cold.
‘It’s not him. This person is definitely not him.’
‘My foolish Junior Brother even felt mercy for his enemies! Especially before his death, he sacrificed himself so I could slay the Black Dragon Emperor and save the world from suffering. A righteous man like that would never do something so cruel if he were reborn.’
The last flicker of hope in her heart was extinguished. She was certain: this man was truly just a beast who had possessed another’s skin.
After an unknown number of lashes, Chu Yuan finally stopped. He looked around at the pale-faced evil cultivators and asked, “What? Do you think I’m too cruel?”
Looking at the bloody mess on the floor, the cultivators shook their heads, none of them daring to speak.
Chu Yuan folded his hands behind his back and looked at the cave ceiling. “Just now, I saw a bloody omen on him. I personally broke it for him so he could leave this world more comfortably. You must realize that death is not scary. Death is a cool summer night, offering one a worry-free sleep.”
He looked down at the silent, lifeless body of the hook-nosed cultivator, his smile growing warmer. “I was helping him attain his Great Dao!”
Silence filled the cave.
Chilian Zhenren stared blankly, a chill running from his heels to the top of his head. Killing someone wasn’t called murder; it was “helping them attain their goal”? And he used such an absurd reason to brush it off?
This man was…!!!
He took a deep breath, cupped his fists, and bowed, his voice trembling. “Elder! You are… truly the paragon of our Demonic Path!”
Ruthless and steady — Chilian Zhenren felt ashamed of his own lack of “professionalism” in comparison.
Chu Yuan tossed the whip aside. “I am here on the City Lord’s behalf, so I must bring back some information. This hideout can no longer be used. Your main force must withdraw, leaving only a few greenhorns to guard it. Otherwise, I won’t be able to report back.”
Chilian Zhenren was stunned. “Yes! Elder, is this act of being a spy… perhaps the Alliance Leader’s intention?”
Chu Yuan rolled his eyes. “Can I not share the leader’s burdens even if it wasn’t his idea? That Crown Princess seems very interested in this skin of mine. I’ll simply play along — I might even be able to use this to control the entire Immortal Dynasty in the future. Hahaha!”
Amidst his laughter, his figure vanished into the void.
The evil cultivators were left looking at each other. After a long while, Chilian Zhenren let out a long breath and whispered, “Damn… now that is a member of the Demonic Path…”
***
Outside, inside the Imperial Carriage.
Listening to Chu Yuan, Ji Xuanyuan’s hand tightened on her lap, digging deep into the flesh of her thigh. Her phoenix-like face turned dark.
‘Playing along? Controlling the Immortal Dynasty?’
‘What an Elder of the Demon Path Alliance. Do you really think this princess likes a beast like you?!’
‘No! Calm down!’
‘If he were my Junior Brother, everything could still make sense! His cruelty could be explained by a century of growth and tempering in his previous life. If he truly is my reborn Junior Brother, he would definitely remember everything from the past!’
Ji Xuanyuan didn’t want to keep chasing shadows. She had to find a way to settle this once and for all!
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