Chapter 661: Why Not?

"Done, job finished!"

Withdrawing the Mountain and River Map, Shen Yu was in a great mood; as expected, hunting these old monsters was the fastest way to recoup his costs. The Great Contention Era did not seem like a bad thing for him after all.

With the Time Golden Chapter on his person, he could hide himself with ease. When the time came, he would be in the shadows, and those old monsters would be in the light.

By then, who was the hunter and who was the prey between him and those old monsters would be particularly clear.

However, looking up at the sky, Shen Yu sighed with melancholy. As the Spirit Qi grew increasingly dense, more and more old monsters would awaken, their strength would recover rapidly, and they would inevitably become harder to fight.

Moreover, the piles of bones, the heroes of the Jianghu, and the common people of the world recorded in the various legends and books passed down would all become their prey.

He was only one person and could not possibly attend to so many places at once. Furthermore, whether he could actually defeat them when the time came was also a question.

The Great Contention Era had arrived, and chaos across the world was already imminent. It might be advantageous for him, but it was greatly disadvantageous for those ordinary people.

After a war or a famine, perhaps not even one in ten of the common people would survive, at most one in a hundred.

Yet, wherever those old monsters passed, there were no living things; slaughtering cities and destroying towns was just a daily routine. After they rampaged, not even one in ten thousand of the common people would remain.

It looked like just a number, but in reality, it was a bloody fact. Very few of the billions of common people would survive.

Perhaps only those who hid in deep mountains and old forests, or places very hard for ordinary people to find, could struggle to survive.

Scattered and unable to gather in groups, they were not worth the old monsters taking action, nor were they worth the effort for them to search.

After the Great Contention Era passed, these people would slowly emerge from the deep mountains and old forests, gradually beginning to recuperate and multiply.

Then, they would gradually begin to gather into various factions, and after the chaotic wars between the major powers, a new Imperial Court would be formed.

Waiting for the Great Contention Era to arrive again, those old monsters would enter the world once more, and the new harvest would begin.

Generation after generation, it never ceased. It was as if the common people multiplied and lived only to be wantonly harvested by them.

For so many years, how many people had risen in resistance, how many had sacrificed their lives, yet none could stop this torrent that seemed like an infinite cycle.

According to the records of the Shadowless Sect, although some of those old monsters had been trapped or killed, most of the original experts of past generations—those who had struggled to survive—would also end up becoming one of them.

Therefore, these old monsters had not decreased; instead, they seemed to have increased.

The further one looked, the more one could see that deep despair, as if one could never see hope.

The life-sacrificing efforts of past generations did not bring about a decrease in these old monsters, but rather the sight of them growing more numerous with each generation.

Even the predecessors of the Shadowless Sect who recorded these things felt that perhaps what they were doing was a futile effort.

In the face of absolute strength, the so-called flaws in those old monsters were like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water—completely useless.

Ordinary people only had the fate of being crushed when facing them; even a sneeze from them could grind their flesh and bones into nothingness.

This reality, where no hope could be seen, was what made people most desperate.

"Someone, come quickly!" At this moment, Leng Hanye was desperately rushing toward the Leng Family, shouting loudly with a hint of panic as he ran.

Upon hearing his younger brother's shouts, the Leng Family Head, Leng Hanyue, could not care about anything else and immediately flew to meet him.

"Second Brother, didn't you leave with Master Shen? Why have you returned?"

"Leng Hanyue" grabbed his older brother's arm, and Leng Hanye gripped him, looking him up and down, discovering that there were no wounds on his body and that he was perfectly healthy.

The things his own big brother had done were enough to make even him feel his blood boil, and he had almost been unable to restrain his killing intent. Master Shen hadn't taken action?

Could anyone still be alive in Shen Yu's hands?

"Second Brother, what is wrong with you? Your eyes don't seem right! This isn't right, you are actually addressing me by my full name?"

Very well, thinking that because he had latched onto Shen Yu, his wings had hardened. In the past, he would call him 'Big Brother', and although this brother of his had a somewhat blunt personality, he had at least given him face and had a sweet mouth when they met.

But now that he was by Shen Yu's side, he dared to call him by his name. Had he forgotten who he was? Had he forgotten that his big brother was still the Leng Family Head?

"Master Shen, Master Shen..."

"Master Shen? What happened to Master Shen?" Seeing Leng Hanye's panicked expression, Leng Hanyue had a bad feeling in his heart.

Could it be that Shen Yu had met with an accident, and that was why his brother had returned to seek help? Big Brother, I'll call you Big Brother, okay? If you know that even Shen Yu couldn't beat them, then why the hell are you coming back?

The Leng Family wasn't that stubborn; if even Shen Yu couldn't beat them, then the Leng Family would just be delivering themselves as a meal. If he came over now, wouldn't that bring danger to the Leng Family?

Leng Hanyue clearly knew that this World was different; at the very least, the Ancestor of their Leng Family had awakened. And the aura made one feel afraid just standing there, making one's hair stand on end.

Thinking of this, Leng Hanyue gritted his teeth; this bastard was going to ruin all his plans.

Now that his plan was half-executed, the Leng Family absolutely could not afford to make a mistake, at least not now.

He had always known about the so-called Spiritual Qi Surge and the so-called Great Contention Era; every generation of Leng Family Heads had known.

From the moment he learned of this, he had been preparing, using the strength of several generations of Family Heads to fight for his own life!

He would use facts to tell these so-called old monsters that the times had changed; those old monsters could act unscrupulously, so why couldn't he?

But now, the appearance of Shen Yu and the appearance of his own useless brother were both going to disrupt his plans.

"It's not what happened to Master Shen, it's you!" Just as Leng Hanyue was lost in his thoughts, Leng Hanye raised his head and looked at him coldly.

"Are you using your own family members to feed others? Are you going to use the lives of the family's younger generation to trade for your own wealth and glory? Tell me, is it true?"

"Where did you hear these things?" This sudden barrage of questions stunned Leng Hanyue, but he immediately reacted; these were secrets, how did he know?

Could it be that what he had done had been discovered? Or was it discovered by Shen Yu?

That couldn't be, if Shen Yu had discovered it, wouldn't he have split him in half on the spot just now?

"Second Brother, no matter where you heard these things, do not believe them. These are all rumors. I, Leng Hanyue, walk upright and sit straight; I have never done a single thing with a guilty conscience!"

"Is that so?" Suddenly, Shen Yu appeared between the two, just looking at the other party coldly.

"M-Master Shen! Didn't you leave?"

"Big Brother, Leng Hanyue, what I wanted to tell you before is that your affairs have been discovered by Master Shen!"

"You, you really are my good brother!" If you had told me this earlier, I could have run away sooner. I've seen people who betray their fathers, but this is the first time I've seen someone betray their own big brother. Don't you know that Shen Yu kills without blinking?

"Hanye, I don't know what you are talking about. I said that I walk upright and sit straight; what is there that cannot be known by Master Shen?"

"Leng Hanyue, you really don't shed tears until you see the coffin!" With a slight wave of his hand, nearly a hundred Vajra Iron Cages appeared densely in front of Shen Yu.

Locked inside these iron cages were Leng Family juniors, all of whom were Leng family members bearing the Leng Family bloodline.

Some of them had been completely swallowed by the power of their bloodline, and there was no longer any trace of human reason in their eyes; others had just begun to transform, their eyes filled with expressions of struggling back and forth between madness and unwillingness.

But without exception, anyone locked into these Vajra Iron Cages was being prepared by Leng Hanyue as snacks to be sent to the small house, used to please that so-called Ancestor of his.

Moreover, in the place where these people were imprisoned, Shen Yu saw piles of white bones.

Leng Hanyue must be using the fresh blood of others to feed these clansmen, using fresh blood to stimulate them to better awaken their bloodlines.

For such a long time, I truly don't know how many people have died in the Leng Family, died within that cold, underground secret chamber.

The layers upon layers of corpses accumulated inside the underground secret chamber are likely only a small part of it.

"Leng Hanyue, you say you have never done anything to trouble your conscience, then what do these count as?"

"I have also seen that secret chamber where you imprisoned them; what about the many people you killed to feed them? Is this your 'not troubling your conscience'?"

"To think there are still so many younger generation members?" Looking at the people in the Vajra Iron Cages before him, among whom were juniors he recognized, Leng Hanye's expression grew increasingly cold, and his eyes carried a trace of hatred.

He had never imagined that the elder brother he had always revered could actually do such things.

"Leng Hanyue, do you know what you are actually doing? These are all our own clansmen! You are completely unfit to be the Family Head of the Leng Family!"

"Enough, I am unfit to be the Family Head, then are you fit?" Taking a deep breath, Leng Hanyue tore off his original disguise; at this point, he had nothing left to pretend.

The Ancestor will not abandon the Leng Family, because he needs the Leng Family's bloodline. Therefore, the Ancestor will definitely appear; he will not allow his food to be snatched away by others.

Although Shen Yu is strong, their Ancestor is an existence who has lived for who knows how many years; who knows what methods he has.

Although he was servile, at least he didn't let the whole family fall into endless terror. But now, you insist on pulling away this fig leaf.

You didn't want the refined control of boiling a frog in warm water, and insisted on letting the Ancestor, a person terrifying beyond measure, appear to directly control the entire family—these people have no humanity!

"Leng Hanye, all these years, have you ever cared about the family? Have you ever contributed to the family? You only know how to close your doors and be your so-called upright official and refined scholar!"

"You are noble, you are remarkable, do you know how many people you have offended? Every time, wasn't it the family, wasn't it me, cleaning up your mess? You now have the face to accuse me!"

"You, you didn't you say you had never done anything to trouble your conscience, then what do these count as!" Being pressed by Leng Hanyue, he was instead somewhat lacking in confidence.

There was no help for it; although he was usually high-minded, he was not stupid.

Leng Hanye himself knew that if it weren't for the family behind him, with how many people waiting to stab him in the back, he would have long since been eaten clean by those people.

"What 'you' what! I have never done a single thing to trouble my conscience; these matters were all done following my own heart, I have never felt troubled!"

"Do you know what a Spiritual Qi Surge is? Do you know what the Great Contention Era is? You don't know anything, yet you stand here accusing me?"

"Lord Shen, you should know, right?" Speaking to this point, Leng Hanyue even looked at Shen Yu, his eyes showing not a shred of fear, only unwillingness.

"Hanye, do you know that in the Great Contention Era, countless old monsters who have lived for who knows how many years will appear? They are powerful, they are terrifying, and they kill anyone they see without restraint."

"In front of them, whatever noble families or martial arts experts, all are merely food on their plates."

"They seem born for destruction, having no pity, and when they strike, they do not hesitate in the slightest."

"In front of these people, my Leng Family is just a group of ants, not even as good as ants."

"It seems these things, our Lord Shen Yu here hasn't told you!" With a cold laugh, Leng Hanyue curled his lips in disdain.

"He won't tell you; he can barely protect himself. Everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep, who cares about the frost on others' roofs. He looks arrogant and domineering now, but in reality, he won't be able to jump around for much longer."

"Lord Shen must be clear himself; once those old seniors appear, his days of being invincible will be over."

"He will be hunted by countless experts; they will eat his flesh and drink his blood, squeezing out every last bit of his utility, not even letting his bones go."

"Young experts like him are always the favorites of those old monsters!"

Sighing deeply, Leng Hanyue's expression was full of desolation, like a withered old man: "Lord Shen, you should be able to understand the urgency in my heart!"

For this acting, Shen Yu would give him 9.9 points; it's a waste of talent to be a family head, he should have entered the officialdom—at this point, his rank would probably be no lower than Lord Chen Xing.

"Hanye, actually we are the same; the stronger the Leng Family is, the more attention it attracts. We have no ability to protect ourselves, only to be slaughtered by others."

"But I am the Family Head; I must find a way for the family to survive. I want to protect the women, children, and the weak; I have no choice."

"I can only try every possible way to become strong, to become a powerhouse like them. Only then do I have the qualifications to protect you all, to protect this home."

"For the sake of the entire family's survival, for the sake of more people being able to live, what is wrong with sacrificing a few clansmen? You tell me, what is wrong with this!"

"Lord Shen, did you say I was wrong? Was I wrong? The one who is wrong is clearly this era!!"

"Indeed, this is a man-eating era, but you shouldn't slaughter others for your own selfish gain!"

"Lord Shen, you are the same as Hanye; you are all high-minded people who don't understand the suffering of us vulgar folk. Do you know how much I suffer, how difficult it is for me!"

Gasping for breath helplessly, Leng Hanyue shook his head and gave a bitter laugh: "I don't want to kill them, but even if I didn't kill them, they would still be killed by those old monsters!"

"But I am different from those old monsters; I will remember their sacrifice. If one day I succeed, I will protect their families well; I can give them hope!"

"Actually, this can be considered a fair trade; they paid with their own lives to save their families, what is wrong with this?"

"Lord Shen, Hanye, you tell me, what is wrong with this?"

"Tsk tsk, impressive! This eloquence is something else; even I almost believed it!" Raising an eyebrow, Shen Yu realized that those who can be Family Heads are different.

They probably hold meetings often and can even fool the clan elders into a daze; it looks like something practiced many times over. If he didn't have this ability, could he have sat steadily as Family Head for so many years?

"Sorry, no matter how well you say it, I still have to kill you!"

"Lord Shen, wait a moment, I actually still have words to say!"

"Say what? It's to stall for time, right?" With one sentence, he directly pointed out the other's goal; Shen Yu gave him a faint smile, revealing a smile full of meaning.

"You've been rambling on to me here for so long; this is to wait for that little brat in the small house, right? No need to wait; I finished him off first, and then came to find you!"

"I had a harvest from killing that little brat in the small house today, so my mood is a bit better. Otherwise, do you think I would be willing to listen to you talk so much nonsense."

"Alright, now that I've heard your words, you should go die!"

"You, you, impossible, the Ancestor has lived for so many years, how could he be easily killed by you! Impossible, absolutely impossible!"