Chapter 312: The Final Transaction, Great yet Pitiful!

Flesh and blood scattered, blood splattered all over the ground.

He Youtong's body was shattered, and her overall physical structure could no longer be made out.

She opened her mouth wide, looking at the young man in the distance with a face full of terror, gasping in fear.

"Why... why..."

Blood flowed incessantly from her mouth; He Youtong was pleading, filled with disbelief and extreme pain.

Why was the secret technique she unleashed useless against Chen Yan?

It was Chen Xiyuan who had deceived her.

Yes.

It was Chen Xiyuan who had deceived her.

"Haha... ha."

She laughed out loud, almost as if she had gone mad.

She had actually been working with a devil she could never control for so long.

A devil!

He Youtong looked at the young man standing in the distance; even though the other party had beaten her into this state with a casual wave of his hand, that young man had never once looked at her from start to finish.

It was just like a human casually stepping on an ant, not even bothering to pay attention to how the ant was wailing.

Her eyes kept widening, staring round, as she struggled to breathe.

She knew that no matter what, she would not survive past tonight.

She just hadn't expected that, having come from Chen Prefecture to Great Xia, she had been so arrogant, so noble.

But here, she was like a clown, ignored by others.

She was clearly a proud daughter of heaven as well.

"Actually..."

In the distance, the young man suddenly murmured, his eyes cold:

"What you think has nothing to do with me."

He seemed to have figured something out, looking at the headless corpse of Shi Ziqin:

"Some people can never be transformed no matter what; he wants to kill simply because killing brings benefits.

He knows that his actions will cause more people to lose their loved ones, will cause the world to become incomparably miserable, but human selfishness cannot be reversed."

Chen Yan took a deep breath.

Shi Ziqin and Chen Min were completely different.

Chen Min wanted to wait for a new world because he had not recognized the truth of the world; he did not know that among the billions of people, there existed those like Zhou Lu, Wang Yang, and Luo Puxin.

Therefore, he wanted to sit and watch billions die to preserve the hope of the new world's arrival.

Shi Ziqin wanted to wait for a new world, but Shi Ziqin knew of the existence of people like Shen Yiwei and Lu Xunyang.

She knew that in this world of endless darkness, there still existed that fearless, faint light.

She didn't care about these things; she just wanted a world that was good to her.

Like Chen Xiyuan, like Yu Changsheng, they were all like this.

What do the sufferings of the world have to do with me?

Destroy billions of people just to achieve my throne, then I remain an invincible existence.

In front of the stone palace, He Youtong listened quietly; her breathing was difficult, and she was about to die, but she listened quietly.

Her appearance became grotesque, becoming incomparably mocking.

Chen Yan...

Naive!

Unreasonable, just like an ignorant child.

Yet it was precisely such a person who was also intelligent, cunning, and powerful.

"Hahaha..." she laughed miserably:

"You... are so hypocritical, hahaha, killing and seizing treasures, yet you insist on grandiosely putting a hat on yourself of killing enemies for the sake of the world.

Hahaha..."

She laughed miserably, mocking him.

She was about to die, so why continue to fear Chen Yan?

Her expression became venomous and fierce, cursing Chen Yan:

"You beast, I curse you to a miserable death!"

Chen Yan collected his thoughts; he slowly looked toward He Youtong, his eyes calm.

He walked over with steady steps, looking down from above:

"So, you will never understand who I really am; you cannot judge, you cannot correctly perceive."

He Youtong's gaze became incomparably sharp, and she cursed loudly:

"Beast!

You won, that doesn't mean you are right, you beas..."

She roared, using everything she had to try and insult Chen Yan.

But as the young man slowly reached out his hand, her expression became incomparably stiff.

Hum...

Layers of pressure descended, incomparably grand, incomparably miraculous, as if a god were looking down upon the mortal world.

This was the pressure belonging to the Master of Martial Dao, difficult to describe, impossible to resist.

It was as if an entire world was pressing down upon He Youtong's spirit, speaking of profound mysteries.

He Youtong's eyes widened instantly; she could not breathe, feeling this powerful pressure that was about to completely obliterate her, and countless thoughts intertwined in her mind in a single instant.

An irrepressible awe washed through her heart and chest in an instant.

Streams of clear light descended, and Chen Yan's entire body began to overflow with divine radiance.

He Youtong's expression trembled; at the moment of her passing, she met those eyes, and tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

It was as if she had discovered the greatest secret of this world, and after the terror, she became satisfied.

She heard the ringing of a will.

So that was it, so it was like this.

So he...

Blood flowed from the corners of her mouth, and He Youtong slowly closed her eyes.

At the final moment of death, only one thought surfaced in her mind.

Everyone was wrong, wrong to an outrageous degree.

Poor Venerable Chen Xiyuan, how exactly are you going to deal with Chen Yan...

He Youtong, dead.

At the final moment of death, there was actually a trace of a smile at the corners of her mouth.

Chen Yan waved one hand, and the corpses of He Youtong and Shi Ziqin were taken by him into his spatial ring.

Immediately following, a mass of azure radiance appeared in Chen Yan's hand, and within the radiance, a Black Tortoise roamed.

Chen Yan observed this ball of light, his internal Qi and blood vibrating.

The 【Hidden Abyss】 he practiced indeed had a connection with this mass of light.

But within his Saint-Breaking Realm, no golden light emerged.

This was a fake 【Youlan】.

To be precise, this was the blood of Xue Qi, carrying the divinity of 【Youlan】, but it was fundamentally not the 【Youlan】 cultivation technique.

Chen Yan sensed his surroundings; no one was spying, and he then stepped into the stone palace.

The pitch-black stone palace was empty, and on the floor in front of the stone table, a few lines of text were carved.

【The dark slaughter wounds without measure,

Night falls, tears splash, the heart grieves itself.

Longing to tread the ice river in the distance,

With my body, break the stone, shatter the sinking dream.

Still, a lone tyrant sits upon the wall,

Hating the parting, my heart and bones are cold within.

-Deceased Xue Qi】

Chen Yan scanned this poem, then observed the surrounding walls, touching them quietly, sensing the changes within his body.

Soon, he arrived at the back wall; there was a gap in the wall surface here, and Chen Yan shoved his hand into the gap, searching for a moment.

A tattered cowhide book was found by Chen Yan from within the gap.

On the cover, two characters were extremely eye-catching.

【Youlan】!

Chen Yan opened this book, his gaze calm.

Within his Saint-Breaking Realm, golden light did indeed surge up.

Immediately following, Chen Yan shoved this book back into the gap and left the stone palace.

Looking at the dark purple night, Chen Yan took a deep breath; his own Qi and blood transformed into a dragon, his blood carrying the divinity of 【Hidden Abyss】.

He could perceive that the cultivation technique was not 【Youlan】 at all.

It could only be considered a terrestrial-grade Qi and blood technique, very trashy.

When Chen Yan saw this poem, he had discovered the mystery of this poem.

The first character of the first line, the second character of the second line, the third character of the third line, the fourth line...

These characters connected together meant 【Youlan is inside the stone wall】.

A very simple hidden logic.

But it was too simple.

Often, the simpler and more obvious the hidden logic is, the more it makes people excited at first, thinking they have discovered a great secret, but they also ignore what this poem most wants to express.

This is hiding a leaf in a forest.

And what was ignored was this sentence: 【Still, a lone tyrant sits upon the wall, hating the parting, my heart and bones are cold within.】

This poem was written by Xue Qi before death.

He, as the rabbit who discovered the honey, had the original intention of defeating the white bear, but he failed and was killed by the village chief.

Therefore, this sentence came to be.

"Lone tyrant" refers to a tyrant and a traitor to the people.

A cruel, lawless ruler who has lost the support of the people.

For the sake of the village, Xue Qi practiced 【Youlan】, but he did not expect to be killed by the village chief, harmed by those behind him.

That anger in his heart was hard to describe.

More crucially, it was the last sentence, 【Hating the parting, my heart and bones are cold within】.

Xue Qi was forever parted from his own flesh and blood, unable to see them, and the hatred in his heart was irrepressible.

This poem was written by Xue Qi to express the resentment and wishes in his heart.

Written for whom?

Naturally, it was written for the person who discovers the stone palace.

But the people in the village cannot generate Qi and blood within their bodies and can never enter the stone palace; during the day, Xue Qi sits upon this poem, making it impossible to see from the outside.

At night, Xue Qi goes to the Slaughter Village, forcing all the villagers to hide in wooden huts, unable to go out.

Therefore, this poem can only be seen by candidates who enter the College Entrance Examination Secret Realm and are as powerful as Chen Yan, daring to enter the stone palace.

The candidates are here for the 【Youlan】, while Xue Qi wants the candidates to help him fulfill his wish.

This wish is exactly what is expressed by "Hating to part with the cold in my flesh and bones."

Chen Yan took a deep breath; this was what he had thought of while cultivating last night.

Discovering that there was no 【Youlan】 inside the stone wall confirmed that his idea was correct.

Now, if Chen Yan wants to obtain the true 【Youlan】, he needs to find Xue Qi's flesh and bones.

How to search for them?

That is the meaning expressed by the line "Youlan is within the stone wall."

To obtain 【Youlan】, one needs to find the stone wall.

But the stone wall in this sentence is not the stone wall of the stone palace.

The stone wall does not necessarily contain 【Youlan】, but it is the method to obtain 【Youlan】.

It is very likely that Xue Qi's flesh and bones are within the stone wall.

This is a transaction.

It is a transaction that Xue Qi made with the Great Xia candidates before he passed away, while harboring endless anger and sorrow.

This candidate needs to be powerful, courageous, and able to force their way into the stone palace.

They must have the brains to discover the true meaning of this poem.

When this candidate passes these trial stages designed by Xue Qi before his death.

Then, the transaction between Xue Qi and this candidate is truly fulfilled.

The candidate needs 【Youlan】, and Xue Qi needs his flesh and bones.

He is Xue Qi, the leader who discovered 【Youlan】 and dared to lead the Slaughter Village to resist the Ancient Divine Beast!

He is also the one who was not killed by the Ancient Divine Beast, but instead framed by the villagers and separated from his flesh and bones.

A person who used his final intent to control his corpse, wanting to spend his whole life to embrace his flesh and bones before dying.

He is that rabbit who discovered the honey.

A pitiful and great person!

There was no joy on Chen Yan's face; he was simply moved by Xue Qi's obsession.

Following that, Chen Yan took a deep breath.

He shook his head:

"I am luckier than you; I have an obedient and powerful younger sister, and guides with sincere hearts like Shen Yiwei and Luo Puxin.

I have like-minded companions with firm wills who will not give up, like Chen Min, Shao Hengyang, and Zhuang Ang."

Chen Yan's gaze became sharp:

"You are you, and I am I.

This transaction, I accept."

Then at this moment, this is the true final stage of the Slaughter Forest trial!

Find Xue Qi's flesh and bones, and obtain 【Youlan】!

Chen Yan stood quietly; he was not in a hurry to return to the Slaughter Village now.

He was waiting for someone.

That person was almost here.

He had to finish the final act of the play with that person.

Not long after, roars and the sounds of battle explosions erupted from the sky.

"Chen Yan, I can't hold on anymore!!!"

Jiang Yuan was covered in blood, roaring as he charged toward Chen Yan.

Behind him, Xue Qi followed, constantly attacking; Jiang Yuan dodged, and the light of Qi and blood on his body kept bursting forth.

Chen Yan rose into the air and looked at Jiang Yuan.

"Did you find the Youlan!?" Jiang Yuan roared, raising the longbow in his hand and firing continuously toward the rear.

"I found it." Chen Yan nodded.

"What about He Youtong?!" Jiang Yuan fired an arrow, the situation becoming increasingly critical, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"She pressed the withdrawal button and left," Chen Yan replied.

"What?!" Jiang Yuan was stunned, looking at Chen Yan from afar; distracted, he was struck on the body by a palm strike sent by Xue Qi from a distance.

"Pfft!" Jiang Yuan spat out blood and laughed loudly:

"It's good that she's out!"

Chen Yan frowned; judging from the emotions coming from Jiang Yuan, Jiang Yuan did not seem very anxious at this moment, and he did not believe what he had just said at all.

Why would he think he was lying?

Chen Yan speculated in his heart, recalling the scene where he and He Youtong had pressed the withdrawal button for a long time but did not leave.

Could He Youtong's withdrawal button have been swapped by Jiang Yuan long ago?

Chen Yan muttered to himself; the more he looked at Jiang Yuan, the less simple he seemed.

Chen Xiyuan, what kind of people have you found?

Not to mention Chen Yan, who was never under your control at all, even this Jiang Yuan clearly has his own agenda.

Poor He Youtong, actually cooperating with two wolves.

It seems that even without him, Jiang Yuan would have made a move to kill the opponent.

"Good brother, I can't hold on anymore!"

Jiang Yuan roared, not caring in the slightest that he had been set up by Chen Yan just a moment ago, spitting out blood as he flew over desperately:

"Help me hold off Xue Qi for a moment!"

Chen Yan frowned:

"I have other matters, you hold on for now!"

Having said that, Chen Yan's entire body erupted with golden light, and with incredible speed, he fled toward the distance.

Jiang Yuan opened his mouth wide, watching, speechless.

"You grandson, you..." he muttered, usually it was he who set others up, but today he was actually being set up to death by Chen Yan.

He waved one hand, and an array disc appeared; then the array disc grew larger, and Jiang Yuan took a step out, space shifted, and he arrived instantly by Chen Yan's side.

"Good brother, my withdrawal button is broken, help me hold on for a bit!" Jiang Yuan said, grabbing Chen Yan's shoulder with one palm, his life-blood energy erupting as he pulled Chen Yan toward Xue Qi.

Chen Yan's eyes flickered, but he was still enveloped by Jiang Yuan's life-blood energy and flew toward Xue Qi.

Chen Yan gritted his teeth:

"Jiang Yuan, today I will help you once; don't forget to repay this favor in the future!"

Jiang Yuan gave a miserable laugh:

"Many thanks, brother!"

Afterward, he instantly concealed his aura and vanished high in the sky.

Roar!

Xue Qi, like a crazed ferocious beast, seeing that Jiang Yuan was gone, lunged toward Chen Yan.

Chen Yan unleashed 【Heaven Patrol】, dodged Xue Qi's killing grab, and flew toward the direction of the wooden house.

Now that his strength had greatly increased, even if he couldn't defeat Xue Qi, he wasn't worried about any danger to his life.

Inside the Dark Forest, Jiang Yuan hid behind a giant tree several people wide, watching Chen Yan and Xue Qi move away.

"Heh, playing games with me?!" Jiang Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood, his life-blood energy surging throughout his body, shaking all the blood off his clothes.

At this moment, he was incomparably composed, showing no traces of having been heavily wounded by Xue Qi.

Jiang Yuan straightened his collar and whispered toward Chen Yan's direction:

"To be able to trick me once is already quite impressive.

No wonder my foolish younger brother said you were very capable."