Chapter 2337: Junior Brother, did you kill him?

The youth, listening to Ye Zhangqing and Zuo Jue's conversation, felt his scalp go numb, as if countless ants were crawling over it.

Just as he felt ill at ease, he suddenly noticed Zuo Jue's gaze shooting toward him.

The youth's heart jumped violently; he was stunned as if struck by lightning.

His mind went blank; he had no idea how to respond to this sudden situation. In panic, he blurted out.

"Fellow cultivator, please wait… I… I have had no strengths since childhood; my only strength is keeping a tight mouth. From youth to now, I have always been someone who can keep a secret. I will never leak anything. Spare my life, please. Even if I join the Poison Witchcraft Sect, I will never betray you two fellow cultivators."

The youth spoke more urgently, fearing Zuo Jue wouldn't believe him, and hastily added.

"Really, I can swear an oath to heaven that I will keep my mouth shut; if I break my vow, let me suffer heavenly punishment."

He said this while raising his right hand, ready to swear the oath.

Then the youth continued speaking.

"By then, you two fellow cultivators needn't worry about exposing your identities; this senior sister will also pass the Entry Sect Examination smoothly and achieve great merit—isn't that a win‑win?"

From Ye Zhangqing and Zuo Jue's conversation, the youth finally understood the whole story.

It turned out that this girl had come to take the Poison Witchcraft Sect's Entry Sect Examination, and he himself had unfortunately become the examination's target.

Thinking of this, a complex, indescribable emotion welled up in the youth's heart.

Over the years he had weathered countless storms and overcome every hardship, yet he never expected to capsize in such a tiny ditch—truly laughable and lamentable.

Suddenly a feeling of suffocating frustration welled up in his chest, as if a lump of stagnant qi blocked his breath.

But this was no time to dwell on emotions; life and death were at stake. To preserve his life, the youth had no choice but to speak hastily, racking his brain for any reason to survive.

Yet no matter how he argued, those so‑called reasons seemed feeble and unconvincing in Ye Zhangqing's eyes, utterly untenable.

Heavenly oaths, promises to keep one's mouth shut—these words were sheer nonsense to Ye Zhangqing.

He knew full well that if he truly believed those words, he would have no chance to rise from the lower realm to the Immortal Realm; he would already have been marked for death.

In Ye Zhangqing's creed, only the dead are truly reliable and best at keeping secrets.

Besides, anyone could betray you at some moment—no exceptions.

Thus, when he heard the youth's words, Ye Zhangqing remained unmoved, not even bothering to glance at him.

He merely gave the dazed Zuo Jue a sidelong glance, then lowered his voice and said.

"What are you standing there for? Get moving!"

Zuo Jue seemed somewhat hesitant, looking dubiously at Ye Zhangqing and muttering.

"Do we still have to kill him, Senior Brother? I think what he said makes some sense…"

Ye Zhangqing nearly laughed in anger upon hearing that; he shook his head helplessly and said.

"What do you say?"

Frowning impatiently, a hint of anxiety in his eyes, he quickly gave Zuo Jue a look full of urgency and resolve, as if urging him to act at once.

Because he knew perfectly well that this youth could not be left alive; he must be killed.

Any hesitation could bring unforeseen consequences, so he conveyed this message without delay.

Under Ye Zhangqing's gaze, Zuo Jue seemed to hesitate, his expression torn, as if still pondering something deep inside.

However, after only a second's hesitation, Zuo Jue's face showed the resolve of "Though I still think he has a point, since Senior Brother has spoken, let's kill him."

At that moment the youth suddenly sensed the killing intent emanating from Zuo Jue, a cold wind that made his whole body shudder.

He cried out in terror.

"Fellow cultivator, please wait, spare me!"

However, this time Zuo Jue showed no hesitation; he ignored the youth's cries, clenched his hand, and his inner spiritual power surged forth like a bursting flood.

This powerful spiritual power instantly engulfed the youth's soul and mercilessly obliterated it.

Immediately afterward, Zuo Jue lightly waved his palm, and the surging spiritual power swept away the youth's flesh as well, leaving not a trace of bone.

All this happened so swiftly that Zhao Rou had no time to react.

She widened her eyes, staring in shock at the scene before her, frozen for a moment.

After a while, Zhao Rou came to her senses, looked incredulously at Zuo Jue, and stammered.

"Junior Brother Zuo… you… you killed him?"

However, before Zhao Rou could finish speaking, Zuo Jue interrupted her with a matter‑of‑fact face, declaring bluntly.

"Senior Brother told me to kill him—I naturally had to act. What's the problem?"

In Zuo Jue's view, since Ye Zhangqing had ordered him to act, doing so was naturally unproblematic.

Yet just as Zuo Jue felt pleased with himself, believing he had done right, Zhao Rou spoke in a weak voice the next second.

"But you destroyed his corpse—how am I supposed to report back?"

It turned out that Zhao Rou needed to kill this youth because it was the Poison Witchcraft Sect's Entry Sect Trial.

According to the rules, she had to bring back the youth's corpse as proof of completing the trial.

But now, though the youth is dead, his corpse has been destroyed by Zuo Jue—how can she prove she finished the task?

Zhao Rou's words left Zuo Jue stunned; he had not considered this at all.

He stood there blank‑faced, a look of bewilderment and innocence on his face, as if saying.

"How was I to know this would happen?"

Immediately afterward, Zuo Jue seemed to snap out of it, hastily turning his head toward Ye Zhangqing with a pleading expression, as if saying.

"Senior Brother, what should we do now?"

Faced with Zuo Jue's gaze, Ye Zhangqing also wore a look of helplessness.

He inwardly groaned, thinking.

"What can I do? This is really a big hassle."

The three stared at each other, the atmosphere turning strange; just then Zuo Jue seemed to sense something, and a hint of joy flashed across his face.

He turned his head to look at Zhao Rou, simultaneously spreading his palm, only to see half a finger in his palm, and he grinned.

"Senior Sister, there's also this, should be no problem................."

Huh???