54: Chapter 54 Cause and Effect, Retribution is Inevitable

[He took a deep breath and tucked the jade pendant into his robes.]

[Returning to his cave dwelling, he immediately took out a transmission talisman.]

["Zhiyi, my wife, the beast tide is coming, and Qingshi Town is in danger. Quickly evacuate with your father and the Lin family. If necessary, take refuge in the direction of Jin Xiao City."]

["Do not worry, I am safe. Once matters here are concluded, I will surely return."]

[Injecting spiritual power, the transmission talisman transformed into a stream of light.]

[Chu Sheng watched the stream of light, "You must be safe..."]

In this simulation, he had something he truly cared about.

He was no longer a lone wolf, no longer living only for himself.

Having attachments is a good thing, but also a bad thing.

The good thing is having motivation, the bad thing is having a weakness.

[Following this, the beast tide arrived as expected.]

[Tens of thousands of demon beasts surged out from the Liuyun Mountain Range.]

[Outside the mountain gate, corpses piled up like mountains, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of blood.]

[Chu Sheng was assigned to the defensive team.]

[He did not use the Sixteen Swords of Yan Yun.]

[That sword technique was too conspicuous; once recognized, it would be ironclad proof of colluding with the enemy.]

[He only used the Blazing Fire Sword Technique he had created himself.]

[Blazing Fire Slash! Blazing Fire Spreads Across Fields! Hundred Slashes of Spreading Fire!]

[Wherever the sword light passed, demon beasts fell one after another.]

[With the Sword Saint's blessing, he managed to rival Seventh Stage of Qi Guiding demon beasts with only his Fifth Stage of Qi Guiding cultivation.]

["Junior Brother Chu, your sword technique is too fierce!" someone exclaimed.]

["Exactly, exactly! I saw those Senior Brothers at the Sixth Stage of Qi Guiding, and they aren't killing as fast as you!"]

[Chu Sheng smiled without saying much.]

[On the night of the seventh day.]

[The beast tide temporarily retreated, and the defensive team rotated to rest.]

[Footsteps sounded.]

[He opened his eyes and saw five people surrounding him.]

[The face of the leader was one he knew all too well.]

[Han Li.]

[Behind Han Li followed four Law Enforcement Hall disciples, all with cultivation between the Sixth and Seventh Stage of Qi Guiding.]

[The five of them surrounded him completely.]

["Chu Sheng, didn't expect this, did you?"]

[Han Li laughed sinisterly, "It just so happens there's no one here. The brothers from the Law Enforcement Hall heard your sword technique is impressive, so we came specifically to ask for pointers."]

[Chu Sheng stood up and looked around.]

["Brother Han," he said calmly, "Is there really no one else here?"]

[Han Li was stunned, then laughed loudly, "You certainly have self-awareness. That's even better; it saves me the trouble of wasting my breath."]

[He drew his longsword, the blade gleaming with a sinister light, "Today, I'll let you know the consequences of offending me, Han Li!"]

[Chu Sheng also drew his qing feng sword.]

[The blade was plain and unremarkable, a Yellow-rank Low Grade, looking laughably shabby in front of the five.]

[Han Li laughed even louder, "Just with this broken sword?"]

[Chu Sheng did not speak.]

[Thirteen Swords of Yan Yun, First Form: Swallows Return to the Nest!]

[The sword light surged like a sea of clouds, instantly enveloping one disciple.]

[A bloodstain appeared on that person's throat.]

["You!" Han Li's pupils constricted, "This is Yan Yun..."]

[Before he could finish, the second sword thrust came.]

[Thirteen Swords of Yan Yun, Second Form: Swallows Unmatched!]

[The sword momentum was like the wind, penetrating everywhere. A mist of blood exploded from the chest of the second Law Enforcement Hall disciple.]

["Impossible!" Han Li's face turned ghastly pale, "How do you know the Yan Kingdom's sword technique!"]

[Chu Sheng did not answer.]

[The third sword, the fourth sword, the fifth sword...]

[Thirteen Swords of Yan Yun, Eleventh Form: Swallow Carrying Spring!]

[With the final sword thrust, all four Law Enforcement Hall disciples fell to the ground.]

[Chu Sheng sheathed his sword and looked at him.]

[Han Li's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, trembling, "You... you cannot kill me... I am the Second Elder's nephew..."]

[Chu Sheng took a step closer.]

["I know," he said softly, "That is why today, you must die."]

[A flash of sword light.]

[Han Li slowly fell to the ground.]

[He stood up and looked at the five corpses, his heart completely calm.]

Chu Sheng watched this scene and let out a long sigh:

The thread of Han Li had finally come to an end.

However, as for the Second Elder, the trouble was still to come.

With this person dead, the Second Elder would definitely investigate.

Although the scene had been picked clean by demon beasts, given the Second Elder's brain, he would most likely suspect him.

[Chu Sheng did not dispose of the bodies and turned to leave.]

[One month later, the beast tide temporarily subsided.]

[Chu Sheng stood on the mountain wall, gazing at the devastated land in the distance, his heart worried about news from Qingshi Town.]

["Zhiyi should have already evacuated... The Lin family and Li family should have also..."]

[Footsteps came from behind.]

[He turned back and saw Lin Bufan in a green shirt.]

[This Big Young Master of the Lin family had surprisingly already broken through to the Fifth Stage of Qi Guiding.]

["Chu Sheng."]

[Lin Bufan walked to his side, "You have become stronger."]

[Chu Sheng nodded: "So have you, Big Young Master."]

[Lin Bufan was silent for a moment, "Come back to Qingshi Town with me."]

[Chu Sheng's heart tightened: "What happened to Qingshi Town?"]

["The beast tide invaded that area."]

[Lin Bufan's voice was low, "I received news that the Second Elder ordered a portion of the demon beasts to be dispersed and diverted, and one of the branches... happened to pass through Qingshi Town."]

[Chu Sheng's expression changed.]

["What about the Li family and the Lin family? What about my wife?"]

[Lin Bufan shook his head: "I don't know yet. But the evacuation order was issued in advance; they should... they should have already evacuated."]

[Chu Sheng did not say another word and turned to leave.]

[Lin Bufan followed.]

Chu Sheng watched this scene, a chill welling up in his heart:

The Second Elder's move of using someone else's knife to kill was truly sinister.

He couldn't directly move against the Sect Masters Lineage's registered disciples, so he used the diverted demon beasts to make the people Chu Sheng cared about suffer.

If something really happened to Zhiyi, Chu Sheng would never have peace of mind in this lifetime.

[Finally, they arrived at Qingshi Town.]

[The sight before him made Chu Sheng's whole body go cold.]

[The once prosperous town was now a ruin.]

["Zhiyi!" Chu Sheng rushed into the location of the Li family.]

[There was nothing left there but rubble.]

[Lin Bufan watched him silently, not stopping him.]

[After a long while, Chu Sheng stopped, gasping for air.]

["They... they should still be alive, right?" his voice was hoarse.]

[Lin Bufan walked over and patted his shoulder: "The evacuation order was issued three days in advance. With the caution of Li Qingshan and the Great Steward, they would definitely have left."]

Chu Sheng watched the distraught figure in the scene and sighed in his heart:

This is the price of having a weakness.

Before, he was a lone wolf, and if he died, he died.

Now that he had attachments, life and death were no longer just his own business.

The Second Elder diverted the demon beasts toward Qingshi Town, wanting the people he cared about to be buried in the beasts' bellies, to take revenge on him.

["Then the Li family and the Lin family..."]

["Should be fine."]

[Lin Bufan analyzed, "My father received wind of it before the evacuation and made arrangements in advance. On Li Qingshan's side, with that letter of yours, they would have set off long ago. They most likely went to Jin Xiao City."]

[Chu Sheng nodded, his heart slightly at ease.]

[Lin Bufan said slowly, "It's all the fault of that old thing guarding the pavilion. The Crimson Python was one of the formation eyes suppressing the beast tide. Whichever bastard killed it, the beast tide naturally advanced."]

[Chu Sheng: "..."]

[He lowered his head, hiding the bitter smile at the corner of his mouth.]

Chu Sheng watched this scene, filled with emotion:

Cause and effect, retribution is inevitable.

He killed the Crimson Python, causing the beast tide to advance; the Second Elder used the beast tide to take revenge on him, which instead caused Qingshi Town to suffer.

In the end, it was he who ignited this fuse with his own hands.

But fortunately, Zhiyi and the others should be fine.

[In the scene, Chu Sheng and Lin Bufan stood side by side.]

["Let's go."]

[Lin Bufan said, "Go to Jin Xiao City. Your wife, your father-in-law, and my good sister should all be there."]

[Chu Sheng nodded.]