Chapter 54

Looking at Bai Haohé's appearance, Chu Yán knew that his words had come true: "It's truly pitiful. I've known Chìyuè since we were young. What kind of person is he? In his eyes, there's only the means to an end. I've never heard of anyone having a good outcome by following him."

"Master, what should we do now?" The Bai family's loyalists were in a panic. They had placed all their hopes on Chìyuè Valley, but now, Chìyuè Valley was no longer reliable. They could even imagine that even if they killed Chu Yán and managed to escape the Black Forest, they would still be dead.

Bai Haohé's eyes were bloodshot. He never expected such an outcome. His bright future, all his aspirations, everything had vanished like smoke.

"Chu Yán, no matter what, this is all because of you. If it weren't for you, my Bai family would never have been destroyed!" Bai Haohé went mad, almost roaring with a fierce expression as he suddenly summoned a sharp scimitar in his hands.

Chu Yán shook his head sadly. Although he felt a bit of sympathy for Bai Haohé because of the Bai family's destruction, he never thought of letting Bai Haohé go. The reason was simple: some blood feuds must be avenged.

"If you want to fight, then let's fight. I won't feel sorry for you just because the Bai family has been destroyed." As Chu Yán spoke, he moved forward.

Seeing this, the Bai and Zhang families were astonished. In their view, Chu Yán's first choice should have been to run away, but instead, he faced Bai Haohé's attack head-on?

After all, every time Chu Yán encountered them before, he was running away.

"Hmph, why aren't you running this time?" Bai Haohé glared at Chu Yán coldly.

"I've been running for almost half a month, and I'm tired. So this time, I want to resolve the issue once and for all."

"Resolve it once and for all? You mean kill me?"

"Yep." Chu Yán nodded, with no hesitation. In the next moment, his figure shot forward, launching an attack on Bai Haohé. A three-foot-long sword suddenly appeared in his hand, but it was no longer the Wind Chant; it was a dark, ominous black sword. As soon as the sword appeared, the sky within a hundred meters darkened, as if even the sun was afraid.

Bai Haohé's eyes widened in shock. The power emanating from the sword was too strong, so strong that it made him feel a chill.

"Such powerful strength! Is that sword a divine artifact?" Everyone was stunned, including Bai Haohé. In a single move, the sword's light fell, and his scimitar shattered instantly. A sword pierced his chest, directly through his heart, pinning him to the ground.

Bai Haohé was dead? Killed by Chu Yán in an instant?

A third-layer Dust Stirrer killing a sixth-layer Dust Stirrer? This was absolutely a miracle.

"Brother!" Bai Tíng roared in anger, at the eighth-layer Life Body stage with the Crimson Blood technique, but when he looked at Chu Yán, he saw only endless fear.

In Chu Yán, Bai Tíng seemed to see the aura of a king, an existence he could never defy.

After killing Bai Haohé, Chu Yán looked at him coldly: "You didn't have to die. The one who killed you wasn't me, but your own greed. You had good talent and could have enjoyed glory in Tian Shan Sect, becoming a steward in a hundred years. If you were lucky enough to reach that realm, you could become an elder, and the Bai family would be honored because of you. Unfortunately... you touched a woman you shouldn't have and cooperated with a man who eats people without spitting out the bones."

Chu Yán pulled the Sunless Sword out of Bai Haohé's chest, covered in blood. Until his death, Bai Haohé's face was one of regret and hatred. He hated Chu Yán, Tian Shan Sect, and Chìyuè Valley, but he had no power to seek revenge.

Chu Yán killed him without using any primal strength, relying solely on himself.

Bai Haohé was dead, and the Bai and Zhang families clenched their fists, but they didn't dare to act rashly. At this moment, Chu Yán raised his eyebrows and looked at them, saying calmly: "I'm a person who always distinguishes right from wrong. Although you pursued and tried to kill me, it wasn't your true intention. If you want to avenge Bai Haohé, stay and fight me. If you don't, then leave. The Bai family is gone, so you don't need to be loyalists anymore. Cross the Black Forest to the Ten Thousand Sects Platform and join the Ten Thousand Sects. You will have a bright future."

Chu Yán's words were simple, giving everyone a choice.

The Bai family's loyalists were shaken. They were pitiful beings. They exchanged glances, and suddenly, one of them threw down his weapon and bowed to Chu Yán: "Thank you, Master Chu, for sparing my life. I'm leaving!"

One person left, and more followed. In a moment, all the Bai family members were gone, leaving only Bai Tíng and Zhang Fēng with the Zhang family.

A Zhang family disciple whispered to Zhang Fēng: "Master, let's go. Chu Yán is too strong. We're not his match."

Zhang Fēng clenched his fists. From the moment he started pursuing Chu Yán, he was convinced Chu Yán would die. The huge disparity now was hard to accept, but he knew that even Bai Haohé, at the eighth-layer Dust Stirrer stage, wasn't a match for Chu Yán, and he certainly wasn't.

"Let's go!"

Zhang Fēng gritted his teeth, but just as he was about to leave, Chu Yán's voice rang out calmly.

"Wait, you can't leave!"

Zhang Fēng's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Chu Yán in terror: "What do you mean?"

Chu Yán gave Zhang Fēng a cold look. Without a word, he swung the Sunless Sword in the air. Zhang Fēng was startled and tried to block it with all his might, but the energy in his arms shattered upon collision with the sword's aura. The sword's energy pierced his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, dying instantly.

"I let those who didn't truly want to kill me go. Unfortunately, you did, so you can't live." Chu Yán said coldly, then looked at the Zhang family disciples and said calmly: "You're the same as the Bai family. If you want to avenge them, stay and fight me. If not, leave."

The Zhang family disciples lowered their heads, one by one throwing down their weapons and leaving. They weren't fools. They weren't originally part of the Zhang family but were merely recruited loyalists, so they wouldn't die for Zhang Fēng.

At this moment, Chu Yán frowned. One person hadn't left: Bai Tíng. He had been standing silently, looking at Chu Yán with a strange expression.

"Are you going to avenge your brother?" Chu Yán asked.

Bai Tíng shook his head: "I'm not a fool. He wasn't your match, and neither am I. Besides, there's someone else watching from behind. If I move, he'll probably jump out and tear me apart."

Chu Yán was taken aback. He turned around, realizing that Ye Xún had already emerged from the Blood Path and was standing behind him.

Ye Xún had changed a lot. He looked very eerie, with his hair down to his neck. Behind him was a seven-foot-long iron spear, simple and unadorned, not as fierce as the Sunless Sword, but exuding a dominant aura. At the top was a black dragon head, as if the spear's roar would make ten thousand dragons bow.

"Did you succeed?"

Chu Yán knew the iron spear was the Iron Dragon King Spear, but what surprised him more was that Ye Xún's aura had changed. It was now one level higher than his, at the fourth-layer Dust Stirrer stage: "Damn! You broke through?"

"It seems the Blood Path helped me summon two Dust Stirrers." Ye Xún nodded, seemingly transformed by the Iron Dragon King Spear, exuding a demonic aura.

Chu Yán nodded. He had also gained something in the Blood Path, but his gain was a permanent talent, while Ye Xún's was a one-time two-level boost.

"You're really not nice, not leaving any for me?" Ye Xún glanced at the bodies of Bai Haohé and Zhang Fēng on the ground, giving Chu Yán a dirty look.

"There's still one left." Chu Yán pointed at Bai Tíng, who shuddered. He wasn't a fool. He could sense a more terrifying aura from Ye Xún than from Chu Yán, whether from the spear or his strength, Ye Xún was now stronger than Chu Yán.

However, the next move from Bai Tíng was unexpected. He pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into his abdomen without hesitation, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Suicide?" Chu Yán was taken aback. But that didn't make sense. He had already spared Bai Tíng's life. Why would he commit suicide now?

Bai Tíng pulled out the dagger and deliberately cut a deep, bone-deep wound on his chest, then looked at Ye Xún with a pale face: "Ye Xún, this is what I owe you. We're even now."

Chu Yán frowned, realizing that the wound on Bai Tíng's chest was the same as the one Ye Xún had suffered.

"What's your purpose in doing this?" Ye Xún, not a fool, asked.

"I want to avenge, but not for my brother. He brought it upon himself. If he hadn't harassed Liú Qīngchéng, the Bai family wouldn't have been destroyed. But I want to avenge the Chìyuè Valley! I will never forget this hatred." Bai Tíng almost roared with a fierce expression.

"Chìyuè Valley, what do you mean?" Ye Xún didn't know about the Bai family's destruction, so Chu Yán explained the situation.

Ye Xún understood, his eyes darkening: "The Bai family brought this upon themselves."

Chu Yán looked at Bai Tíng and shook his head: "I won't help you with the Chìyuè Valley feud. You'll have to do it yourself. But I will eventually enter the Chìyuè Valley. Some blood feuds must be avenged, and if you have the ability then, I can take you with me."

Bai Tíng nodded, waiting for those words. Then he said nothing, just bowed to Chu Yán and left.

Watching Bai Tíng's desolate back, Chu Yán and Ye Xún felt a strange sensation. The Bai family, once one of the eight great families of Changlong Kingdom, had been destroyed in a single night.

Ye Xún said painfully: "Chu Yán, is this the true world? It's so cruel."

"Survival of the fittest, the king is supreme. This is the law of the mortal world and the universe. It will never change. If we don't want to be prey, we must become strong, strong enough that no one can bully us."

"We will stand at the highest point of the universe together, right?"

"Definitely! Definitely!"

This trial in the Black Forest taught the two young men what the real world was like. It was a vivid, bloody lesson. Zhao Sanfēng's death laid the foundation for their future growth. Many years later, when no one dared to underestimate them, the two returned to the Black Forest to pay respects to Zhao Sanfēng and clear his name.

"Let's go to the Ten Thousand Sects Platform. No one can stop us this time!"