Chapter 52, Cultivator Chopping Southern Renown

Translator: Tamon

 

“Wha…” Hei Huang gawked.

 

He swore on his dog life he didn’t even touch the guy. The human came out of nowhere and slammed himself to death into a tree.

 

Looking closer, he found the human to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator, albeit a weird one. [Since when do Foundation Establishment cultivators go around with missing lower halves and knocking into trees?]

 

[What happened under there?]

 

“Was Little Xu behind it? But he’s at the 6th layer of Awareness Stage, and not exactly brave.”

 

Hei Huang closed in with his Divine Sense on. The cultivator’s foundation was like an overflowing lake, a clear sign of being shy of mid Foundation Establishment Stage.

 

He was at a point that kept many early Foundation Establishment cultivator from advancing, with deep resources and a True Qi beyond what a fresh advanced individual would have.

 

The information had Hei Huang shocked silly.

 

[How did Xu Hei do it?]

 

He’d watched Xu Hei grow every step of the way. Apart from the scales and that mysterious cultivation method, he had nothing else of note.

 

Xu Hei crawled out of the ground covered in wounds. Not just his skin, but the flesh and bones were all damaged. He approached the prone Ye Haichuan to spew fire on him.

 

“Fire Serpent!”

 

The lively flames formed into a serpent as it licked every inch of Ye Haichuan’s upper body.

 

Ye Haichuan’s flesh carbonized under the naked eye as he let out weak groans.

 

Hei Huang raised a paw to stop him, pausing as the groans came.

 

Ye Haichuan was far from dead, employing the Turtle Breath the second he noticed the black dog to fake his death and cheat his way out of certain demise.

 

The only activity he had was a sliver of awareness to wake him up the second a fellow sectarian approached. A chance robbed by the Fire Serpent’s conflagration.

 

“No~!” Ye Haichuan wailed on his deathbed as his flesh and mind were burned away into drifting ash.

 

Hei Huang rushed over to absorb Ye Haichuan’s True Qi, a minute amount, as the rest was burned off.

 

[What a waste!] Hei Huang sighed.

 

The thought soon changed as he realized even he was duped by the man’s Turtle Breath.

 

Xu Hei was exhausted.

 

The ordeal with the Foundation Establishment cultivator tested not only his cultivation but also his wits and resolve.

 

He couldn’t spare a moment, always on edge to find the best tactic to do him in and and come out alive.

 

He had been cultivating for a year, while others would have decades, if not centuries, of experience. But why would that make him weaker?

 

Xu Hei never believed he was weak, giving his all even against those two Qi Refining disciples. He never dealt in half-measures, entering any fray with the intent to kill.

 

It was his powerful will that kept him alive all this time. It was what provided him with the plan to carve his own flesh to dupe his enemy.

 

Hei Huang was grave. “Did he cause those wounds?”

 

His tone held anger in it.

 

“I did,” Xu Hei said.

 

Hei Huang jolted.

 

“There’s no time to explain. Clean the area. I’m leaving.”

 

Xu Hei walked off. He was in a grave state, with bones showing in places, and needed a place to recover.

 

Hei Huang looked at the two bodies and basked them in a blazing fireball, then he cleaned up the area to hide all evidence.

 

“Shifting Mountain Sect, now you’re playing with the Wandering Heavenly Devil.” Hei Huang’s eyes flashed with murder.

 

…

 

An hour later, three figures flew over.

 

They were tall and had overbearing auras, one stronger than the next, the strongest mid Foundation Establishment cultivators.

 

They were Shifting Mountain Sect Leader, its Grand Elder, and a Snake Catchers Sect honored guest.

 

All Foundation Establishment elders had a Soul Lamp in the sect to assess the user’s state in this world.

 

As Ye Haichuan’s lamp died out, it marked the first crisis the Shifting Mountain Sect encountered in the last decade.

 

Even the guest from the Snake Catchers Sect grew interested in this sudden development and came along to investigate.

 

“The Spiritual Energy is all over the place. A great battle took place, but all traces are gone, making it impossible to know who did it.”

 

The Shifting Mountain Sect Grand Elder Shi Fengzi spoke.

 

The Snake Catchers Sect Elder huffed. “Our five sects signed a non-aggression treaty before entering the mountain. Any conflict, if ever, would resume to disciples. For elders to resort to killing is no different than suicide.”

 

“Maybe a demon could have done this?”

 

“A demon? There’s not a Foundation Establishment demon anywhere within the two hundred miles scanned area. And even if there were, Junior Brother Ye had the skills to flee. On top of that, do you expect a demon to hide his tracks like this?”

 

“Maybe…”

 

After a round of debates, the Snake Catchers Sect Elder paused as an image flashed in his mind.

 

He shook his head. [A demon snake? There’s no way Ye Haichuan, one of the best early Foundation Establishment cultivators out there, would end up dying from a small demon snake.]

 

“Let’s start by understanding what Junior Brother Ye was doing here. Did someone request aid? If so, who? We need to find all the details and then draw conclusions,” Shi Fengzi spoke.

 

The Snake Catchers Sect Elder said, “Something occurred to me: Senior Xuan Yangzi’s avatar’s demise and the robbing of his storage bag. The culprit hasn’t been found to this day, only that it happened in this forest.”

 

“Eh?” The other two’s eyes flashed.

 

…

 

Xu Hei knew there was no such thing as foolproof. Every action had traces, no exceptions. Having done this, he realized he couldn’t hide forever.

 

Instead of hiding in a cave somewhere, scared and praying for no one to find him, he would toughen up, stronger and stronger, and even stronger!

 

He was confident that his future strength would deter anyone.

 

Reaching Demon Core Stage, he could destroy Shifting Mountain Sect to its last brick, and no one would make a peep.

 

Xu Hei knew from the moment humans entered the forest and burned it that he couldn’t hide forever. Revenge for the wanton destruction of his home, the blatant disregard of another’s right to live, could never be returned just by hiding away.

 

It was why he agreed with Hei Huang in destroying the Golden Core cultivator’s avatar in the first place and why he killed a Foundation Establishment elder.

 

Xu Hei never regretted it.

 

“This is cultivation. This is enlightenment.” Xu Hei had a dark smile.

 

He moved the white snake and wolf king to a cave and had Hei Huang stand guard as he entered seclusion to heal.

 

Xu Hei didn’t bother with the three storage bags he earned, and, for once, Hei Huang didn’t pry, knowing he didn’t contribute to the fight.

 

His sole assistance, if you could call it that, was to frighten the man into pretending to be dead, but Xu Hei ultimately brought him to his demise.

 

[Little Xu has grown strong without even realizing it. I better step up my game.] Hei Huang vowed.

 

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