He thrust his spear at the old man, but the blow was caught on a shield. Unfortunately, the old man had become the target of everyone. Suddenly just as he deflected attack, a sharp blade pierced into his back.
"UUGHH!" the old man groaned, collapsing to the ground. He turned his head, only to see his own comrade standing behind him.
"Why…?" his face was filled with despair and disbelief at the betrayal of his comrade.
"I'm sorry, my friend," his comrade said. "Only one of us can survive, and that has to be me."
Now only two remained, a young man from the Escort Guild and another from the Guardian Guild.
The Escort guild member held the advantage of reach with his spear, while the Guardian relied on the defense of his shield. The Guardian knew his only chance was to close the gap before the spear could be used to its full effect.
The Guardian guild member inched closer to the Escort guild member, with his shield raised. The Escort thrust again and again, but each strike was deflected by the Guardian Guild member. Forced to retreat, he stepped back.
The Guardian guild member even couldn't close the distance, because every time he advanced, the Escort guild member retreated just far enough to stay out of reach, but close enough to be able to strike with his spear at the Guardian guild member.
The Guardian guild member grew frustrated, and impatient. He charged forward full speed at the Escort Guild member, his shield raised high before his face.
The Escort guild member eyes narrowed. The moment the Guardian entered striking range, he would strike with his spear downward at the Guardian guild member foot.
The Guardian guild member, so focused on protecting his upper body, that he left his legs exposed to attacks.
The Guardian guild member finally shortened the distance just enough for him to be able to swing at the Escort guild member, but just as he was about to swing, the Escort guild member's spear thrusted and aimed it downwards and pierced his foot.
"UAGH!" the Guardian guild member screamed as the spear pierced through his foot.
He staggered, collapsing in pain. His whole body wide open and defenseless, he had no chance to recover. The Escort guild member seized the moment, lunging forward driving his spear into the Guardian guild throat
"UCK!" Blood poured from the Guardian's throat.
"Congratulations," Xue Shen said, clapping his hands.
"Thank you, great cultivator!" the Escort guild member shouted, dropping onto his knees.
Xue Shen's eyes shifted towards Lin Gao and Yan Gao. "Now it's time for you two."
A chill ran down both their spines.
"W-what… what do you mean, sir?" Yan Gao asked, her voice trembling.
"I mean it's time for you to kill each other," Xue Shen said with a smile. "Only one of you can survive."
"Sir, please! Have mercy! She's my w–" Lin Gao pleaded, his heart wavering. How could he kill his own wife?
But just as he begged, he felt a sharp pain tearing through his back. Slowly, he turned to see Yan Gao standing behind him, her hands wrapped tightly around a dagger, his face a mix of disbelief and shock.
"DIE!" she screamed, driving her dagger deeper into him.
"W-why… stop, honey-" Lin Gao said, but his words were cut short as she stabbed him again, and again, and again, and again and again, and again, and again…
"Ughhh…" Lin Gao groaned, surrounded by his own pool of blood. He suffered over twenty stab wounds ,yet Yan Gao still hadn't stop. Her eyes were wild, her attack were relentless, each of her strikes sank the dagger deep into him…
Xue Shen stared at Yan Gao's bloody hands, drenched in her husband's blood.
"Alright… now it's time for both of you to kill each other," Xue Shen said, his eyes shifting between Yan Gao and the Escort Guild member.
The Escort Guild member's eyes glinted, and he instantly thrust his spear at Yan Gao.
Yan Gao reacted swift, although Yan Gao reflexes were fast, the spear's tip was still able to nick her as she tried to dodge. She stepped back, readying her bow, but the distance was too short for her to shoot.
With another thrust, the spear pierced her chest.
"Ugh!" She collapsed, holding the spear shaft as the spear pierced her chest.
Seeing his opportunity, the Escort Guild member yanked the spear free and drove it forward again — this time piercing her throat and ending her life.
"Hm… the kid's skill with the spear is good," Xue Shen thought, genuinely impressed. In Yunluo, he had fought many geniuses — some masters of a single weapon, others skilled with all kinds — yet this boy's ability truly stood out.
"What's your name?" Xue Shen asked.
"Great Cultivator… my name is Mao Nu," the man replied.
Xue Shen considered Mao Nu's skill carefully. It genuinely impressed him and made him consider taking Mao Nu as a subordinate.
After all when he had tried to liberate the world, he realized how truly alone he was. No one had helped him; he stood against all of existence alone.
If he could manipulate people into believing in his fake causes like world domination or the peak of immortality, or world peace he could pretend to kill for those ends without revealing his true aim, at least until he was strong enough to liberate everyone, or if he grew tired of pretending...
After all, people were more likely to assist someone who claimed to want world domination, or even world peace. If he had been honest and outright said he wanted to liberate all of existence, he would only repeat his old mistakes and be hunted by everyone.
"Do you wish to become stronger?" Xue Shen asked, having made up his mind to take Mao Nu as a subordinate.
Mao Nu blinked, he was caught off guard by the sudden question.
"Yes! Great Cultivator! I would give up anything to become powerful!" he said, bowing.
"Even your freedom…?" Xue Shen asked, his voice filled with curiosity. He was probing to see how far Mao Nu would go for power—a detail that could prove useful in learning how to control him.
Without hesitation, Mao Nu bowed his head. "Yes! Even if I must become a slave or a dog for eternity, I would do anything, sir!"
"Why? Why would you give up your freedom to become a hunting dog for me? Does power mean that much to you?" Xue Shen asked, his eyes narrowing, showing an interested face.
"Sir. better to be a chained beast than a weak man clinging to the illusion of freedom," Mao Nu said, his eyes unwavering and firm.
"And why is that?" Xue Shen asked further, curious to know his reasoning.
"Because, sir, what truly separates a weak man from a chained beast? Freedom without strength is nothing but an empty cage. Without power, a man is no different from a dog in chains, waiting, helplessly, for the beast that will one day crush him."
Xue Shen stared at him with a complex expression. For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt no urge to liberate the lost soul before him, at least not yet...
"Mm.. well said," Xue Shen nodded at Mao Nu's words.
'And it's all existence's fault…' Xue Shen thought, weaving Mao Nu's words into his own belief of existence's curse.
"I will allow you to live, if you pledge your allegiance. I shall grant you the strength you desire and let you become this chained beast. But know this… your power is mine. Your life, your purpose, your soul—your very existence—every shred of you belongs to me. You are mine to command, to break, to consume. From this moment on, you will live as my dog."
Xue Shen cringed inwardly as he spoke those words. He would have preferred to liberate Mao Nu outright, but if keeping a useful person by his side brought him one step closer to freeing all lost souls from existence's clutches, he would endure it.
"I understand, Master… Everything I am, and everything I possess… belongs to you."
Xue Shen smiled, while nodding.
"Good. Then you shall be reborn, not as Mao Nu, but as…" Xue Shen paused thinking of a suitable name for him, then he thought of one, "Lian Shou!"
"Lian Shou, greets master!" Lian Shou said, kowtowing.
"Grab Bao Jia, Quan Ning, corpses and put them here," Xue Shen ordered.
"Understood, Master!" Lian Shou replied obediently doing as he was told like a good boy.
Xue Shen stared at the young lady of the Ning family.
"So, are you going to speak, or will I have to torture you?" he asked, already thinking of ways to make her talk.
Lian Shou returned carrying the split body of Bao Jia and the body of Quan Ning over to Xue Shen feet.
She looked conflicted, trembling—then finally gave in.
"Search the enclosed carriage, sir!" she blurted out.
"Hm?" Xue Shen glanced toward the wagon, narrowing his eyes.
"Lian Shou, guard her," he ordered.
"Yes, master," Lian Shou replied, spear poised at her throat, ready to strike if she tried to flee.
Xue Shen approached the enclosed wagon, stepping over several corpses. When he opened it, he found two chests, a sealed case… and a young girl with pink hair—beautiful, trembling, almost identical to the young lady of Ning family outside. She stood there frozen, her hands wrapped around her ankles, pressed back against the seat.
"Who are you?" Xue Shen asked, his glare sharp and cold.
She had seen everything—the death of her uncle, her guards, all of it.
"L–Li Ning," she said stuttering.
"Then who is that?" Xue Shen pointed at the Ning family's young lady.
"My doppelgänger," she whispered.
"Come out," Xue Shen said softly. 'It seemed this child was frightened.' he thought.
Li Ning obeyed, following him back toward Lian Shou and the doppelgänger.
"Now," Xue Shen said, glaring at her, "explain to me why you're her doppelgänger."
She stayed silent, staring at the ground.
SMACK!
"If you don't start speaking," Xue Shen warned coldly, "you'll experience something far worse as existence."
"Stop!" the Ning family's young lady suddenly interjected.
Xue Shen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Does Miss Li Ning have something to say?"
The girl hesitated, then spoke quickly. "I… I was supposed to marry the young master of Baiyan City… but my family decided otherwise. They arranged for a doppelgänger to take my place."
Xue Shen tilted his head. "And why would they do that?"
She hesitated, until Xue Shen raised his hand slightly. "Okay! My grandfather discovered my talent in cultivation," she continued nervously. "He said it would be a waste to marry me off. So they planned for the doppelgänger to wed him while I was hidden inside the wagon."
"Would they have taken you along to Baiyan City? Hidden? If they didn't plan for you to marry him?" Xue Shen asked.
"They weren't," she said quickly. "After the wedding, I was heading to the Ice Palace—to accept a master there. Doing so would have granted protection for me… and my family… from the lord of Baiyan City. But if they ever discovered the fake bride…" said, her body still trembling as she spoke.
"What is this Ice Palace?" Xue Shen asked, tilting his head again.
"Eh? You don't know it? It's the top sect of the Jin Empire," she replied, surprised by his ignorance.
"Your talent is that powerful, then? Enough for a top sect like that to protect you from the lord of Baiyan City?" Xue Shen asked, his mind already spinning.
"Yes," she said quickly. "The Ice Palace's strength is far beyond your imagination. Something as small as Baiyan City is incomparable." She spoke, hoping the mere mention of the Ice Palace's power would make Xue Shen think twice of harming her.
"I see… then what's inside the chests?" Xue Shen asked.
"Nothing important. Just food," she replied.
"Alright, that'd be all." Xue Shen said calmly. Then, without hesitation—
SHKKK!
Both their heads rolled across the ground, eyes wide in shock.
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! +1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! +1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
Xue Shen turned toward the wagon again. Something about her words felt off.
He opened the first chest—and froze. Inside were radiant, multicolored stones and stacks of gold bars.
'Liar…' Xue Shen thought.
Opening the second chest, his heart skipped a beat.
"Basic Qi Breathing Technique…" he read aloud.
His pulse quickened. Beneath it were more manuals—
"Ning Family Qi Breathing Technique."
"Body Tempering Technique."
"Stabilizing Qi Technique."
And, even more manuals laid beneath them.
"Good…" Xue Shen murmured, a satisfied smile curling on his lips as he stared at the books.
Then his gaze shifted to the closed case. Inside laid a black ring covered in strange inscriptions. It radiated something… unusual. Beside it was a letter.
"Lu Yan, we've searched the entire tomb of the Expert and found the ring! We tried infusing it with our Qi to unlock its storage, but it wouldn't budge. We even invited formation masters, but to no avail—our cultivation and their skills are far too low. Unless someone of a higher cultivation stage tries, it simply cannot be opened."
— Shu Ning
"Tomb…? It seems this Lu Yan person ordered it to be explored?" Xue Shen murmured, tapping the ring.
He slid it onto his finger, but felt nothing. Shrugging, he slipped it into his pouch and shut both chests.
Outside, Lian Shou stood over the corpses of Bao Jia, Quan Ning, Li Ning and her doppelgänger.
Xue Shen checked the bodies for anything valuable. Bao Jia had a book titled "Wolf Qi Breathing Technique" and a few gold coins. Quan Ning also carried a book called "Advanced Ning Family Qi Absorbing Technique." Li Ning only had a few coins and nothing else.
Surveying the carnage he had brought, Xue Shen felt satisfied. Every life taken, to him, was another lost soul liberated from existence's curse, and brought to death beautiful embrace.
He spread his arms wide, breathing in deeply.
"Ha…" he exhaled with a faint smile.
"Beautiful."
Then he turned to Lian Shou.
"Doggy Shou," he said with a smile, "I liberated so many… Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, Master… your skill with the blade was a sight to behold," Lian Shou replied awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
"That's right" Xue Shen said, nodding, suddenly started patting Lian Shou on the head, like a little doggy…