by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
Hearing Long Chen’s words, they all reddened. Was that five-horse dismemberment punishment referring to them?
“Alright, then let’s talk about cooperating. I have one question for you. Can you let off Yin Wushuang?”
“Absolutely not.” Long Chen’s expression changed.
[1] An ancient Chinese punishment referring to being to having one’s limbs tied to horses and then having their limbs pulled out by them.
Chapter 427 She Must Die
“Absolutely not. I don’t know whether the matter of her targeting me was decided by herself or because she was ordered to, but she has already crossed my bottom line. The enmity between us can only be washed away with blood. Either I die, or she dies. There’s no third option.”
Long Chen’s words were decisive without any room for leeway. There was no way to doubt his determination. Long Chen was now completely infuriated with Yin Wushuang.
Hua Biluo was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Long Chen, do you know how powerful the ancient families are?”
Long Chen shook his head. “I don’t know. I also don’t need to know. Even if she is the descendant of a god, she still must die. Otherwise, I won’t be able to face my dead brothers.”
Whenever Yin Wushuang’s name was mentioned, Long Chen’s killing intent would soar. Guan Wennan’s lifeless eyes were forever fixed within his mind.
Although the various disciples of the 108th monastery had once had some enmities with each other during the initial competitions, those enmities had all been completely forgotten since the Righteous and Corrupt battle. They had all become life and death brothers who trusted each other unequivocally.
Thinking of how those people hadn’t died due to the struggle with the Corrupt path, but instead due to the insidious schemes of that woman, Long Chen really had an urge to cut Yin Wushuang into a million pieces.
“If you kill her, her family will not let you off. Perhaps even the supermonastery will not be able to protect you. The supermonastery’s higher-ups will not offend an ancient family just for a disciple. At that time, you will be handed over as a murderer to appease the Yin family’s fury,” said Hua Biluo.
“Hahaha, the ancient families really are mighty. So only they can kill others, but others can’t retaliate?” sneered Long Chen.
“You are correct. The ancient families are that barbaric, but there’s also no way around that, as they have the power to do so.
“She was only sent to the monastery as a tempering experience. Once that experience is over, the Yin family will call her back.
“With the ancient families’ haughtiness, they will definitely not permit one of their descendants to be murdered. So brother Long, you have to think this over. For her, you are willing to throw away your own life. Is it worth it?” Hua Biluo looked at Long Chen complicatedly, trying to persuade him.
“I don’t care if it’s worth it or not. This is an issue of principles. If I can’t get revenge for my brothers, then what is the point of me cultivating? What is the point of living?
“No matter how high a person’s cultivation base reaches, it is a constant struggle while death is just a step away. I would rather live happily, repaying gratitude and enmity, living each day as it comes. As for my enemies, then while I’m alive, they will all be sent to hell,” said Long Chen.
“But have you ever thought that you might implicate the people by your side? Once an ancient family is infuriated, your friends will also die. What will you do then?” Seeing how obstinate Long Chen was being, Hua Biluo was slightly angered.
“I would run.” Contrary to Hua Biluo’s expectations, Long Chen actually said these three words.
“I would run and cultivate on my own. When I’m strong enough, I will exterminate their entire family, using their blood as a sacrifice to my dead friends. Then, I would bury my bones alongside my companions.” Long Chen’s voice was extremely calm.
But within that calmness was absolute confidence, one that would cause a person’s soul to shiver.
It was an absolute joke to say you would exterminate an ancient family. But when this joke was said by Long Chen, it seemed so natural, so domineering and contained an unquestionable resolve.
In the other tent, Meng Qi and the others’ hearts were pounding. When they heard Long Chen’s last sentence, they seemed to be able to see the scene of Long Chen all alone, standing in front of a field of graves, filled with sadness as he killed himself. Tears streamed down five faces.
Even Hua Biluo felt a burst of sorrow. According to Long Chen’s character, perhaps that really would be the final result.
“Is there really no room or leeway?” asked Hua Biluo.
“Thank you for your advice, but the enmity between me and Yin Wushuang is unresolvable. The people by my side are not my chess pieces, but my life and death brothers.”
Long Chen’s words caused Hua Biluo to be a bit angry. But that anger had only just surfaced when it was replaced by a dim sadness.
“To be your friend really is fortunate,” she sighed. In the sinister cultivation world, people like Long Chen were truly few and far between.
As the proverb went, when the dead were dead, the living had a duty to continue living. She had really never heard of someone who would throw away their own life to get revenge for dead people.
In the cultivation world, the focus was on benefits and profit. No matter how great the value of a person was while they were alive, once they were dead, there was no longer any value to speak of.
Long Chen’s way of thinking profoundly shook Hua Biluo’s inner heart. This was the first time she encountered someone in this world who cared so purely about his friends.
“I, on the other hand, don’t think they’re so fortunate. Those that want to be my friends have to have quite the hardy lives, or staying by my side will be too dangerous.” A sad light shone in Long Chen’s eyes.
Long Chen was actually someone very guarded with his emotions. He wasn’t afraid of danger, but he was afraid of the people by his side facing danger. He wasn’t afraid of death, but he was afraid of seeing each of his friends falling one by one. That was something harder to endure than his own death.
That was also why he had strived to be a great scoundrel when he first joined the monastery. He wanted to be frivolous. He wanted to be on his own, with no cares in the world. He wanted to do whatever he wanted to do. That was a nice thought.
But then brother after brother appeared by his side. He was already firmly tied to everyone.
He was no longer facing life on his own. He was no longer alone on his cultivation path. This new path was one with laughter and joy.
But when that joy was lost, it would become pain and suffering. Long Chen cherished each person by his side, so he needed to get stronger, and he needed everyone else to get stronger as well.
“Why don’t you wait then? Since you are confident in growing to that point, why must you face her at this time?” asked Hua Biluo.
“This isn’t a matter of waiting. I know what kind of person she is. If I don’t kill Yin Wushuang, she still won’t let me off.
“Furthermore, even if I did let Yin Wushuang off, a second Yin Wushuang will immediately pop up. Then a third and a fourth.
“Right now, I want to cut down this Yin Wushuang so that the future ones learn to be afraid. I’ll smother those future problems before they get a chance to grow. So, I absolutely must kill Yin Wushuang,” said Long Chen.
Hua Biluo rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “It looks like I have no way to persuade you to give up on killing Yin Wushuang.”
“That’s correct. So you don’t need to waste any more time on that. If I haven’t guessed wrong, then you must also be a person from an ancient family.”
“Yes, I am the same as Yin Wushuang and come from another ancient family. Furthermore, the relationship between our two families is rather average.”
Long Chen was speechless for a moment. Rather average? Truly wor
thy of someone from a noble family; her words were so implicit. Why not just directly say that their families’ relationship was bad?
“The reason I was sent to the monastery was also for a tempering experience. However, it can also be said to be a competition between me and Yin Wushuang.
“The Yin family approves of Han Tianyu’s talent, and so they intentionally sent her over to the first monastery. Their plan is to set him up as the monasteries’ top expert and have him take the first place in the monastery competition.
“Once he has that glory, the Yin family will invite him to marry into their family, as currently, he still lacks that qualification. He must obtain the first place of the monasteries.
“With the relationship between our two families, I naturally won’t let them do as they please. So I want to suppress Han Tianyu in the secret realm.”
Long Chen asked, “What exactly do you mean by suppress?”
“Suppress in all ways. Not just in terms of direct martial might, but also in terms of group power. I’ve already promised the second monastery’s sect leader that I will help him fight for the rank of the first monastery.
“Currently, I’ve roped in quite a few smaller powers, forming an alliance with them. At the very least, I’m not losing out in numbers.
“In terms of actual combat ability, I might not be able to defeat Han Tianyu, but I can at least guarantee that I won’t lose. But with brother Long’s assistance, we should have over an eighty percent chance of victory.
“But you say you have to kill Yin Wushuang, so my plans are ruined. Even if my Hua family’s relationship with the Yin family isn’t good, there technically isn’t any hatred on the surface.
“But if you kill Yin Wushuang, then it will no longer be a matter of hidden competition. This matter would blow out of my control,” sighed Hua Biluo.
Even though she came from an ancient family, she wouldn’t be able to escape her punishment if she helped Long Chen kill Yin Wushuang.
Although the Yin family wouldn’t be able to do anything to her Hua family, killing Yin Wushuang would go beyond her family’s plans. Her actions would lead to dissatisfaction amongst her family, and she would end up losing out greatly.
Her goal in being sent to the monastery was to try and suppress the Yin family, but the Hua family definitely did not want the matter blowing up too big. If Yin Wushuang died, the nature of this matter would have completely changed.
So, Hua Biluo was stuck in a difficult position. What should she do in this situation? Should she still war against Yin Wushuang, or should she just quietly retreat?
But if she retreated at this point, all her previous efforts would have been wasted. Her tempering experience this time would count as a failure, and that would also cause dissatisfaction amongst her family.
Long Chen was also lost in thought. He understood Hua Biluo’s difficulties. But it was absolutely impossible for him to let off Yin Wushuang.
After pondering for a long moment, Hua Biluo sighed, “I’ve decided to quit my old plan.”
Chapter 428 Successful Alliance
Long Chen wasn’t surprised by Hua Biluo’s decision. Her decision was a smart one.
If she really did cooperate with Long Chen at this time, even if she didn’t personally do anything to Yin Wushuang, she still would be labeled an accomplice.
“However, I’ve only decided to change my plan of suppressing Yin Wushuang. My plan to deal a blow to the first monastery hasn’t changed. This is something I promised to my sect leader,” said Hua Biluo.
“Oh? Then what do you want to do?”
“Although I can’t help you target Yin Wushuang, I can bring my group to stand by your side.
“Don’t look down on my group. I’ve pulled in quite a few smaller powers. With that many people standing by your side, you’ll definitely be very intimidating.
“If the first monastery wants to splash more dirty water on, they’ll just be insulting themselves. To tell the truth, Yin Wushuang has already exhausted all her abilities, and so she has no choice but to use her despicable methods.
“Just by standing by your side, it’ll be like a slap in Yin Wushuang’s face. It’ll be equivalent to telling everyone just how contemptible the first monastery’s schemes are.
“This way, when you target Yin Wushuang, the first monastery’s alliance will hesitate. Seeing how strong your side is, they might not even attack. At the very least, it will have a deterrent effect,” said Hua Biluo.
“I don’t need you to directly participate in the battle. But if my friends fall into danger during the battle, I hope you can lend a hand to help. If you do, I, Long Chen, will owe you a favor.”
Hua Biluo’s eyes brightened. Long Chen was someone who kept his promises, and to have a favor from him… With his potential, if he didn’t die, he would definitely grow to a terrifying realm. A favor from him was truly important.
“Alright, I promise.” Hua Biluo extended a hand.
Long Chen also extended a hand, lightly patting Hua Biluo’s hand. This was a custom that was one of the most solemn promises in the cultivation world.
“Thank you.” Long Chen finally relaxed slightly.
“Brother Long is too courteous. I’m not really helping you much by doing this. But your care for your people’s safety really is rare,” praised Hua Biluo.
Of everyone she had ever talked with, Long Chen was the only one for whom she hadn’t had to constantly guess their inner heart’s intentions. She didn’t have to worry about him scheming against her, which was something that made her feel secure.
“Then since you’ve already decided to change your original plan, do you have anything else that you need my help with?” asked Long Chen.
“No. Although my plan has changed, just giving a blow to the first monastery is a win for me. This time, the first monastery’s greatest mistake was allowing that narrow-minded woman to execute their plan. Now I’ll expose the first monastery’s despicable side to everyone, causing their prestige to drop to the ground. Also, I’m planning on challenging Han Tianyu before the secret realm closes,” said Hua Biluo.
“You want to break the myth of Han Tianyu being undefeatable?” Long Chen was surprised by Hua Biluo’s heroism.
“Do you think defeating him is so easy?” Hua Biluo bitterly smiled. “You still don’t know how terrifying Han Tianyu is. Other than you, he is the most talented genius I’ve seen so far.
“When it comes to talent, you might be better than Han Tianyu, but your cultivation base is too low. If you had reached Bone Forging, you could have swept through the secret realm. I also finally realize why you would be ranked second on the Corrupt path’s must-kill list.
“Even in the face of top experts, you are able to fight across realms. That kind of talent is too worrying, so I’m sure that whether it is Yin Wushuang, Han Tianyu, or the Corrupt path, none of them want to let you leave alive.
“So brother Long, don’t blame me for having been long-winded. You must think this over carefully. As long as you are able to leave the secret realm, you’ll have unlimited prospects. Even if you were to join my Hua family, my Hua family would bring out their full power to groom you.”
Hua Biluo truly didn’t want to see Long Chen, a generation’s greatest genius, die here.
As long as he didn’t kill Yin Wushuang, there would be some leeway. Even she, Hua Biluo, would be able to ask her Hua family to help to protect him.
But if he killed Yin Wushuang, the Hua family would not possibly protect him, just a talented genius that had yet to mature, against the Yin family’s wrath. The relationship between ancient families was complicated, and even Hua Biluo was unable to see through the higher-ups’ thoughts.
“Thank you for the reminder. It’s not that I don’t appreciate your kindness, but that my martial Dao is to live freely, repaying both gratitude and enmity.
“If I let Yin Wushuang get away with her crimes, I wouldn’t be able to endure that kind of impact. That wou
ld plant a heart-devil, and it’d be impossible for me to advance anymore.
“Most importantly, as cultivators, we risk our lives cultivating every day. Just why is it that we have to constantly get stronger?
“Isn’t it because we want to forcibly change our own fates? To use your own power to protect the ones you want to protect?
“If you just endure everything, and you get into the habit of tolerating whatever happens to you, then would you even be a cultivator? If you just want to use schemes to solve your problems, what is the point of you getting stronger?”
Hearing Long Chen’s words, Hua Biluo shook slightly. His words contained the essence of cultivation, causing her to see a clear path in front of her.
There were many cultivators, but if you were to ask why they cultivated, then of ten thousand people, you would get ten thousand different answers.
However, Long Chen’s words were like a loud alarm bell. If you only relied on scheming, then were you even a true cultivator?
She finally understood why Long Chen, who was clearly smart enough, never used schemes to handle others. He had to go all-out to get stronger because he firmly believed that in front of absolute strength, all schemes were worthless.
A person’s energy was limited, and if you used schemes to settle everything, then that would take up a great deal of your cultivating time, delaying your cultivation. Long Chen’s decision was the smart one.
But just who had such confidence in their own strength? Could it be that Long Chen’s confidence had never wavered?
His words had allowed Hua Biluo to see an unprecedented path for herself. Although she wouldn’t necessarily choose to walk down that path, just seeing it was enough to bring her great benefits.
“Thank you for your pointers, brother Long.” Hua Biluo cupped her hands gratefully.
At the same time, she wondered to herself, if instead of spending time and effort on schemes, if she had spent that time on cultivating, then just how powerful would she be right now? Would she still need to worry so much about her current situation?