Chapter 210: 210. Chapter 210: Patricide

210. Chapter 210: Patricide

Using the system, the bronze ancient mirror and the divine tree branch were identified, and the other items held little value for Xiao Zhangqing.

Even though many could be equipped by the system to extract skills, Xiao Zhangqing lacked even the interest to try them.

They are all relatively weak skills, and even if equipped they would not aid his current strength at all; they are merely for accumulation.

Even Elder Zhuge, the Golden Core cultivator who had been absorbed into a human corpse, his true Magic Treasure was completely despised by Xiao Zhangqing.

Of course, the other plundered treasures did not aid Xiao Zhangqing's strength, but they were still worth many Spirit Stones.

Especially the storage bag on Zhang Xu Real Person, which contained a great many high‑grade materials; if all were converted to Spirit Stones, the value would be tens of millions, perhaps close to a hundred million.

After all, he was a Golden Core cultivator who had lived for centuries, the top master of the Giant Wood Sect, whose fame shook the Western Regions, and whose reserves were astonishing. After inspecting the haul, Xiao Zhangqing turned his gaze to the father‑son pair Wan Yuexing and Ruan Bufan.

After being gravely wounded by Xiao Zhangqing, Wan Yuexing not only had his internal organs shattered and countless bones broken, but his magical power was also sealed by Xiao Zhangqing.

Thus, while Xiao Zhangqing had been dueling the divine tree's clone for a long time, Wan Yuexing could not seize the chance to heal his wounds and still lay there like a dead dog, crawling beneath his son Ruan Bufan's feet.

"What, now that the moment is at hand you can't bring yourself to act, afraid to kill your father to avenge your mother?"

Xiao Zhangqing looked at Ruan Bufan, who lingered without acting, and said, "If you cannot get past the hurdle of patricide in your heart, leave it to me; I'll avenge your mother. After all, your mother and I were old friends."

Wan Yuexing, though cruel and ruthless, would use any means to achieve his goals and would not hesitate to kill his only son if he stood opposite him, yet he still retained a shred of dignity.

He did not beg meekly for mercy; he was prepared to die.

The main reason, however, was that he knew he was bound to die today, and besides his prior arrogance—having exploded Ruan Qingzhu in anger, causing her death at his own hands; now even the Supreme Elder and Elder Zhuge were dead, and no one from the Giant Wood Sect survived the scene, so Xiao Zhangqing could not let him leave alive.

Letting a foe go is something only the most foolish in the Cultivation World would do.

If it were only his son Ruan Bufan, an inexperienced youth, he might still have some thoughts and strive to survive.

But Xiao Zhangqing, a scattered cultivator who rose from a remote region step by step to achieve such feats, could not be a naive good person.

As long as he can stay alive, he would not hesitate to do even the most despicable deeds, let alone kneel and beg for mercy.

And if death is inevitable, there is no need to act pitifully just to satisfy the enemy's feelings.

"Xiao Zhangqing... Xiao Zhangqing..."

Wan Yuexing whispered the name, and his gaze at Xiao Zhangqing now held little hatred or ferocity.

After staring intently at Xiao Zhangqing for a while, he lowered his head, mocked himself, and with a hint of relief said, "Being defeated by you today is no injustice. I never expected that in less than twenty years since you left Nanshan Fang, your cultivation could reach such terrifying heights. Even a Nascent Soul True Lord who re‑incarnates would be no different. My only regret is that I did not go to Liyang Immortal City myself back then to search for you... If I had been able to kill you while you were still weak, to obtain the secrets and destiny you possessed, perhaps I could have become the greatest ever of the Giant Wood Sect!"

Wan Yuexing thought that when Xiao Zhangqing fled Nanshan Fang in a disheveled state, he was already rather impressive, battling two major false‑pill cultivators and leaving with ease, yet he was still far from being his match.

At that time, although he was not yet at the peak of the early Golden Core stage—comparable to the mid‑Golden Core—he was still among the best of the early stage, and slaying Xiao Zhangqing would not have been a problem.

Allowing Xiao Zhangqing twenty years to develop was his greatest mistake.

He did make some progress in those twenty years, but compared to Xiao Zhangqing's speed, it was like rapid regression!

"Even at the brink of death you talk so much," Xiao Zhangqing was too lazy to say any more to this person.

Soon after he arrived at Liyang Immortal City, his strength surged dramatically; even if Wan Yuexing had personally come and found him then, he might not have been able to do anything about him.

Perhaps Wan Yuexing would have died ten or so years earlier!

Wan Yuexing said nothing further.

"The victor becomes king, the loser becomes bandit; there is nothing more to say."

He simply looked up at Ruan Bufan, disdainfully commenting, "What a useless waste, never achieving anything. I should have eliminated you, the rebellious son, long ago; the years I spent on you were a total waste of effort and resources."

Ruan Bufan's eyes reddened, and he first said to Xiao Zhangqing, "What would I not dare against a creature lower than a pig or dog? I didn't act earlier only because I didn't realize Senior Xiao's power was so great; I wanted to keep him alive as a dog, to see if he could serve as a hostage for a retreat."

Then, with murderous intent in his eyes, he looked down at the fallen Wan Yuexing and said coldly, "Do you wish to die by my hand? Rest assured, I will grant it. If I don't kill you myself, I will never find peace. Rest assured, I will not only kill you, but one day I will also wipe out the Giant Wood Sect!"

He finished.

Ruan Bufan, in the Foundation Establishment Realm, channeled his magical power, his sword emitting a blade aura, and struck down fiercely.

Wan Yuexing's head rolled far away instantly, blood spraying everywhere.

"Mother..."

Seeing his own father's severed corpse, Ruan Bufan felt neither triumph nor remorse, only the thought of his deceased mother Ruan Qingzhu, which made him shed a sad tear. Xiao Zhangqing patted his shoulder and comforted, "If your mother knows beneath the spring, she should have already closed her eyes. What are your plans from now on?"

Ruan Bufan wiped his tears, his gaze steadied, and after a moment said, "Travel the world, seek opportunities, and strive to one day form a Golden Core! My mother's greatest wish for me was that my immortal path would be smooth, that I might one day become a Golden Core Real Person. Only as a Golden Core Real Person do I have any hope of destroying the Giant Wood Sect."

Although becoming a Golden Core Real Person is extremely difficult, with Ruan Bufan's talent the hope is slim—perhaps less than one percent.

But he has now successfully entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, unlike the Qi Refining Realm which belongs to the lowest tier of the Cultivation World; wherever he goes, he can get by reasonably well and has some self‑preservation power.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator barely qualifies to travel the world,...

Ruan Bufan clearly understood that the best path for him was to immediately plead with Xiao Zhangqing to keep him close.

The terrifying power Xiao Zhangqing displayed today not only easily slew the Supreme Elder Zhang Xu Real Person, but also eradicated the fearsome divine tree clone; such strength is now counted among the few in the Da Yu Cultivation World.

Aside from the two Nascent Soul True Lords, it is almost invincible.

Being able to stay by such a powerhouse's side promises limitless future; perhaps the chance he might snag by chance is something he could hardly obtain on his own.

But Ruan Bufan said nothing.

His nature has always been so: grateful and repaying kindness, yet very stubborn, with his own bottom line, unwilling to owe others too much gratitude.

Even regarding his own mother Ruan Qingzhu, he felt guilty that he had burdened her, causing the sect to neglect her, so he refused to stay in Nanshan Fang and fled to a small border town to live independently.

Xiao Zhangqing not only saved his life back then, which he never had a chance to repay, but today also avenged him, giving him the chance to slay the murderer of his mother.

He no longer knows how to repay this kindness, yet still has the audacity to ask Xiao Zhangqing to take him in.

"If you encounter trouble later, you can come to Liyang Immortal City for help. My name in Liyang Immortal City is Bai Wuji; just a little inquiry will reveal my existence."

"If... I am no longer in Liyang Immortal City then, go straight to the City Lord's Residence and request an audience with City Lord Gu Zongyuan; give my name, and he will surely do his utmost to help you."

Xiao Zhangqing instructed, leaving Ruan Bufan a fallback and an escape route.

He is about to rush to the Seven Star Sword Sect's territory to exchange Pill with the Pill Dao Alliance.

He does not know whether it will go smoothly or encounter trouble and setbacks.

He didn't even bring the Lin family sisters, leaving them in Liyang Immortal City, so it was naturally unsuitable to keep Ruan Bufan by his side.

Since Ruan Bufan wishes to travel out and seek opportunities, it is a good choice.

After all, other cultivators differ from him; thanks to the item column, he only needs to get by, and being able to purchase various treasures lets his strength increase rapidly.

For ordinary cultivators, traveling to gain experience is one of the best ways to break through their cultivation.

Just like most ambitious Foundation Establishment cultivators, who look forward to the future and are unwilling to remain stuck at the Foundation Establishment level their whole lives, they won't stay in a small market town but will go to a prosperous place like Character: Liyang Immortal City to make their way.

Even the heavenly pride of Xingyue Palace back then, Qin Feng, who had formed a perfect, flawless, top-tier Golden Core, had traveled everywhere during his Foundation Establishment Realm stage, and only returned to the sect after reaching Golden Core.

After chatting for a while, Xiao Zhangqing also searched Wan Yuexing's corpse.

Anyway, leaving it unused would be wasteful; after all, he is a senior Golden Core cultivator, and his wealth is not insignificant.

Xiao Zhangqing picked out two items that interested him and were somewhat useful, left the rest of the loot untouched, and together with the storage bag he stuffed it all into Ruan Bu Fan's hands, which contained quite a few protective treasures.

To Xiao Zhangqing, these treasures are useful only for selling Spirit Stones; otherwise they are of little use.

But to Ruan Bu Fan, it is a huge fortune.

If he truly has a chance to breakthrough to Golden Core in the future, this storage bag could give him considerable assistance.

Although this person behaves like a beast, no matter what, he is still your nominal father, so it is only proper that you inherit his estate.

Ruan Bu Fan still wanted to decline, but Xiao Zhangqing would not allow it, forcing him to accept.

Having said everything that needed to be said, Xiao Zhangqing said no more and left first.

Ruan Bu Fan did not say much in thanks; the gap in strength between them was too great, so any words of gratitude would feel hollow, and it was better to keep them in his heart.

He bowed deeply toward Xiao Zhangqing's retreating back, and all the many words in his heart finally turned into a sincere blessing: 'May Senior Xiao's immortal path flourish!' (End of chapter)