Chapter 235

Seeing his actions, several men and women behind him, of similar cultivation, wore varied expressions.

A heavily made-up woman rolled her eyes, seemingly disdainful.

A man of average stature with dark skin flickered a hint of pity in his eyes, but quickly suppressed it.

Of course, some shared the young man's mockery, sneering at the countless numb figures below.

Disdain, mockery, indifference, pity—even sorrow for one's own kind…

All manner of emotions, too numerous to list.

The youth reined in the scorn in his eyes; a flicker of spiritual light ignited at his fingertip as he gently wiped the meat juice from his lips, still smiling.

"A rare opportunity—those willing, step forward."

The countless numb figures stared blankly, their eyes flickering with longing, their emaciated bodies starving for nourishment.

Yet none stepped forward, as if held back by some fear.

The youth did not urge them; he had a chair brought and sat calmly before the table laden with delicacies, savoring each dish with deliberate slowness.

These wretches have been starved for three days—someone will break.

As expected, just as several figures among the numb crowd were on the verge of stepping forward—

A figure stepped out from the crowd; all eyes turned toward him.

Yet this man wore clean, neat clothing and carried a crimson longsword on his back, his posture upright.

Hm?

The youth seated at the table was startled.

'When did this person appear?'

He rose immediately to ask: "My lord, may I ask you—"

Before he could finish, a single finger pointed toward his face, drifting lightly as if devoid of any force—yet the youth's pupils dilated violently, as if every inch of his flesh screamed in terror.

He had no time to resist, not even time to mobilize his spiritual energy.

Boom!

His head burst open like a watermelon.

A mist of blood sprayed everywhere, the thick stench of blood instantly filling the entire platform—yet not a single drop landed on the man, nor did any blood sully the steaming dishes on the table.

In an instant, not even a pin could be heard falling.

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone.

Blood sprayed across their faces, crimson and thick; the heavily made-up woman froze for a moment, then screamed shrilly.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

But her piercing scream did not last long—her head exploded with a 'boom.'

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One head after another burst open, like balloons popping in sequence.

In the end, only two remained standing on the platform, trembling violently, the thick stench of blood overwhelming them, making them nauseous, their stomachs churning.

Yet they dared not move a muscle, suppressing themselves with all their strength.

This is a Successor…

A Successor far stronger than us!

Huh~

A gentle breeze swept over, swirling the blood mist away into the distance.

One headless body after another collapsed, the scene horrifying.

The sudden disappearance of the bloodstink did not ease the two survivors—they trembled, their stomachs spasming—but their desperate will to live drove them to mobilize their spiritual energy, crushing the urge to vomit.

"Don't be afraid."

The man spoke, his voice gentle; the fear in the hearts of the crowd below was instantly calmed.

Everyone instinctively raised their heads—only to find they no longer needed to look up; the man stood right before them.

"No matter what came before, I am here now—I will ensure you eat, wear warm clothes, and live."

His tone was not grand or passionate, merely plain and calm—but it rang crystal-clear in every ear, warming their long-numb hearts.

The crowd stirred.

Yes.

In this world, what could possibly be more precious than eating, wearing warm clothes, and surviving?

Yet the crowd below remained unmoved.

Such words were often spoken by Mingguang's leaders—even sometimes accompanied by tears.

But… nothing ever changed.

Suddenly, two more figures stepped forward, also wearing clean, neat clothing, though their faces were slightly yellowish.

It was the siblings Xi Yun and Xi Li.

"Elder." Both bowed respectfully.

"Maintain order and distribute the food." Xu Xing instructed.

As his words ended, massive shipping containers suddenly appeared on the platform, one side open to reveal stacks of food inside.

The two survivors, startled by the sudden containers, tumbled off the platform.

Then, unable to hold back their nausea, they collapsed onto the ground and vomited violently.

"Yes."

The siblings bowed again.

Xu Xing turned and vanished, heading deeper into the settlement.

Looking back at the thin figures ahead, their numb yet yearning gazes tightened the two hearts.

One must remember: when starving, people will do anything.

Finally, Xi Yun summoned his courage and shouted:

"Line up properly, step forward to receive food."

After shouting this, Xi Yun stared anxiously ahead, fearing the crowd would surge forward to snatch the food.

Though he and his sister had now become Transmitters, their strength greatly increased.

But if all these people rushed at once, the two of them could never hold them off!

Just as the siblings prepared themselves, the figures ahead, upon hearing their words, swiftly formed three lines.

Even stranger, though their eyes still burned with desire, not a single person pushed or fought to get ahead.

Not even one person cut the line.

What… was going on?

The two who had been vomiting on the ground and were slowly recovering, upon seeing this, felt a chilling dread.

…………

Mingguang Gathering Site, interior.

Beyond a towering, massive wall, unlike the ruined, brutal environment outside.

The streets were wide and clean, lined with trees; rows of neat little houses met the eye, their outer walls painted in warm hues, flowerpots blooming with colorful blossoms on the windowsills.

Few pedestrians walked by, but all wore well-fitting, proper clothing, their faces radiant with smiles.

They laughed and talked about whether the chosen ones from the outer gathering site were male or female, and how many resources they could exchange for after being sent away.

Their words implied that the humans from the outer gathering site were not their kind at all.

Those who felt pity for this were met with mockery.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Low explosions echoed like a symphony, as bursts of blood mist erupted across the town.

In an instant, one-third of the people in the interior town were dead.

Blood mist scattered; at the end of the street stood a vast estate, protected by surrounding arrays.

That was the residence of Mingguang's leader, the Golden Core Stage cultivator — Min Feng.

……

……

Inside the estate, in a lavishly decorated room.

A middle-aged man with a square face, who radiated an air of righteousness at first glance, sat slumped in his chair, his expression heavy with worry.

This man was the leader of the gathering site — Min Feng.

He had conspired with a high-ranking figure of the Beast God Clan to establish this gathering site, sending two humans each month as political credentials to pave the way for the Beast God Clan's descendants; in return, the Beast God Clan provided certain resources.

But now, floating before Min Feng on the table was a bright yellow talisman, its head bearing a beast-head emblem, crimson runes glowing with spiritual light.

"How could this be…"

He still could not believe it.

He had only just sent a brother and sister to provide political credentials for a high-ranking Beast God Clan descendant.

Yet less than a day later, an entire city — tens of millions of Beast God Clan members — had simply vanished!

Such power…

Not even he could manage it; even the few "fire seeds" cherished by the Sacred Grounds probably couldn't do this!

Moreover, from the urgency in the tone, Min Feng sensed vaguely that this incident was more than just the disappearance of one city's Beast God Clan members.

"Investigate… hah!"

He sneered.

A being capable of such a feat — how could he possibly investigate it?

!. Read

Not even if the true culprit stood right before him would he dare utter a single "no."

"Ah~"

He sighed softly, waving his hand to dispel the glowing talisman before him, then took a fresh sheet of talisman paper from his drawer and placed it before him.

Again, it bore an intricate beast-head emblem.

Only talismans drawn on this specially made paper could deceive the Transmitter Sacred Grounds.

A thread of magic power flowed out, ready to inscribe the runes onto the paper.

To be a dog, one must have the awareness of being a "dog" — no matter how unreasonable the demand, he must endure it.

Recalling his youthful arrogance when he first left the Sacred Grounds, and all he had done since, Min Feng's heart grew ever more bitter.

His turbulent thoughts suddenly calmed in the next instant.

The magic power settled upon the bright yellow talisman paper, tracing crimson runes.

In an instant, the crimson runes covered the entire sheet.

Just as he was about to make the final stroke, his brush trembled — the magic power imprinted itself, spreading into a crimson blur; the entire talisman was ruined, burning away into ash under Xiong Xiong's flames.

Yet Min Feng paid no heed, his eyes locked fixedly on what lay before him.

A figure had appeared without warning, picking up the communication talisman he had just dismissed.

The newcomer bore a long crimson sword on his back — clearly a cultivator.

"May I ask which senior brother stands before me?" Min Feng bowed. "I am Min Feng, of the 【Shu Feng】 lineage, cultivating the Seven-Transformation True Jin Dan."

This man bore a crimson long sword…

Could it be the lineage of Zhong Ming?

But that doesn't seem right either!

Just as Min Feng was endlessly guessing in his mind.

Xu Xing's gaze withdrew from the talisman and settled calmly upon him.

"How pitiable."

In his perception, the leader of Mingguang before him had a soul that was not only dim and lifeless, but also bore numerous patches and cuts, as if a ragdoll.

A thread of extremely fine red silk, like a parasite, coiled throughout his soul.

Like the strings of a puppet, it constantly manipulated his thoughts, cognition, even his consciousness.

Even the one being manipulated remained unaware of any wrongness.

【Cang Ya Laboratory, Experiment No. 42】

His soul had clearly been altered.

Even his internal Jin Dan was covered in countless tiny silver-gray worms, looking deeply horrifying.

"Enough. I'll lend you a hand—see how you choose."

Xu Xing raised his hand and grasped.

Min Feng's expression changed; he tried to dodge but found himself utterly immobilized.

Shh!

As if something had been pulled from his soul, he felt his heavy soul suddenly grow lighter.

But what followed was unbearable pain!

"Aaaah!!!"

Amid his screams, he clutched his head and collapsed backward onto the chair, his body convulsing from the pain deep within his soul.

It was the stitched places on his soul tearing apart.

Amid pain without limit, all his past deeds surged into his heart; boundless regret, like venomous snakes, frantically gnawed at every inch of his spirit.

Gradually, his screams turned into wailing sobs, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Amid his heartbroken wailing, Min Feng's shattered soul began to heal; as the pain eased, his regret grew even sharper.

All his past deeds now appeared before him as if in plain sight.

At only fourteen, he inherited the Shu Feng lineage and swore to protect the human race.

The earnest hopes of the sages, the earnest teachings of his masters.

When he first left the Sacred Land, brimming with the spirit to change the sun and moon, the blue sky.

Even when captured by the Beast God clan, he remained unyielding to death...

But everything changed after that surgery.

He established the Mingguang settlement, colluded with the Beast God clan, betrayed his own people to exchange resources with them...

Criminal!

He was a heinous criminal!

Puff!

Blood sprayed as his hand, wrapped in magic power, pierced straight through his abdomen, seized his Jin Dan within the dantian, and tore it out bodily.

There, on the Jin Dan, countless tiny silver-gray worms.

Min Feng summoned his last shred of magic power and ground them to dust, revealing the pure white, flawless Jin Dan within.

He staggered to his feet, his face deathly pale.

"I have disgraced the Shu Feng lineage, betrayed the hopes of my masters and ancestors, sold out my own people—I am utterly beyond redemption."

"Thank you, Elder, for awakening me today."

"Reflecting on my past, I see my crimes are unforgivable, and I have no face left to live."

"I beg you, Elder, to return this Jin Dan to the Sacred Land."

"May the human race's flame endure forever!"

Then, without hesitation, he slammed his head into the wooden table before him.

Boom!

His skull caved in instantly; red and white matter spread across the table, and the pure white Jin Dan, formed by the Shu Feng Dao, rolled to a stop before Xu Xing.

The moment he tore out his Jin Dan, he destroyed all his cultivation, leaving only a trace of magic power.

Now, with this full-force impact, he severed all life entirely.

"Good." Xu Xing murmured.

What was good?

Naturally, the reaction after Min Feng's soul aberration was extracted.

If a cultivator who inherited the Sacred Land's lineage had no spark of spirit left, even if I passed on my teachings, he would truly be beyond saving.

"For now, death will do."

Immediately, the red and white matter reversed flow; the caved-in skull began to heal, and even the pure white Jin Dan in Xu Xing's hand flew back into the gash in Min Feng's abdomen.

The life force that had already extinguished was gradually returning!

"What comes next—depends on you."

For someone like Min Feng, without this death, he would forever be bound by regret, never advancing again.

Xu Xing turned and left, vanishing from sight.

Min Feng slowly awoke; before he could make sense of his situation, a profound cultivation method flowed through his mind.

The Method of Cutting Off Jie Fa Bi Tian (End of Chapter)