Translator: CinderTL
Chi Yu opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips as he turned to Luo Yu. "Senior Brother Luo, the Dragon-Catching Net has closed. No matter how skilled Zhou Longsheng is, he won't escape this time!"
"Hahaha! Well done, Junior Brothers. Your efforts are commendable." Luo Yu beamed, nodding approvingly at Chi Yu and his companions. His gaze drifted involuntarily to Xu Sanyan, and he couldn't help but draw a comparison. We're both at the Mid Stage of Foundation Establishment—how can the difference in our performance be so vast?
If Xu Sanyan continued to underperform like this, Luo Yu's chances of securing the position of Supporter would surely slip away.
Xu Sanyan roared and lunged at the Gold-Devouring Beast, determined to tear it apart.
Luo Yu dismissed him, turning his attention to the bewildered crowd. The cultivators who had previously belonged to Zhou Longsheng's faction couldn't hide their anxiety, fearing retribution from Luo Yu.
Aware that their support would be crucial for his bid for the Holy Son position, Luo Yu reassured them: "Junior Brothers, there's no need for concern. We are all members of the Same Sect. This is merely a personal feud between Zhou Longsheng and myself."
The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief, cupping their fists in gratitude. "Thank you, Senior Brother Luo," they chorused.
"Senior Brother Luo is truly righteous!"
"We would gladly lay down our lives for you!"
Luo Yu strode slowly toward the deep crater Zhou Longsheng had been blasted into. He gazed down at the unconscious Zhou Longsheng and grinned coldly. "Heh, Zhou Longsheng, did you ever imagine it would end like this?"
Their bitter feud, long past reconciliation, was finally reaching its bloody conclusion.
"Senior Brother Luo, watch out!" a frantic shout came from behind him.
Luo Yu whirled around to see Xu Sanyan, who had been locked in combat with the Gold-Devouring Beast, now standing menacingly behind him. Fury surged through Luo Yu. "Xu Sanyan, what are you doing?!" he roared.
"Taking your life!" Xu Sanyan snarled, his four muscular arms bulging as he swung them heavily toward Luo Yu's head.
"You're courting death!" Luo Yu bellowed.
He couldn't believe Xu Sanyan would dare to ambush him like this. What could he possibly gain? The battle was already won. Even if Xu Sanyan was part of Zhou Longsheng's faction, betraying him now made no sense—unless he was insane.
Luo Yu barely had time to think before Xu Sanyan's fist was upon him. In a panic, he could only raise his arm to block it.
"Ah!"
Luo Yu suddenly screamed in agony, as if a thousand needles were piercing his brain. The unbearable pain threatened to shatter his divine soul. His raised arm instinctively wrapped around his head, and his legs buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the ground.
Xu Sanyan grinned cruelly. Luo Yu's torment was entirely due to the Lu Clan's Spirit Refining Force, a peerless Mystical Art for ambushes, rendering its victims utterly defenseless.
Chi Yu shouted anxiously, "Junior Brother Xu, what are you doing?!" If Luo Yu died, who would compete for the Holy Son position? Without a challenger, wouldn't the Crimson Heart Faction be completely wiped out?
Ignoring Chi Yu, Xu Sanyan gripped Luo Yu's shoulders with two arms while his remaining two hands seized the unicorn horn protruding from Luo Yu's head. With a sudden surge of force, he twisted the horn sharply, snapping it off with a crisp crack.
"Aah!!"
Luo Yu's scream was even more piercing than before. The severed horn had dealt him a fatal wound.
Chi Yu frantically barked orders at the stunned crowd. "Quick, save Senior Brother Luo! If he dies, we're all finished!"
The Crimson Heart Faction openly boasted only two members at Foundation Establishment Perfection: Luo Yu and Zhou Longsheng. Zhou Longsheng had already suffered grievous injuries, his fate uncertain. If Luo Yu were to fall as well, who would stand against their rivals at the Peak Stage of Foundation Establishment?
The words jolted the group awake. Though they couldn't fathom why Xu Sanyan had suddenly turned murderous, they knew they couldn't let him succeed.
Xu Sanyan gripped Luo Yu's throat, his pitch-black eyes sweeping coldly over the crowd. Instinctively, everyone froze, except for the Gold-Devouring Beast, which charged at him with savage fury.
Xu Sanyan smirked. With a backhand, he slammed the beast's head into the ground. His forearm, like a razor-sharp blade, pierced through its neck.
"Roar!"
The Gold-Devouring Beast thrashed wildly, but Xu Sanyan's palm clamped down on its head like an immovable mountain, crushing its struggles.
The crowd stared in disbelief, their eyes wide with shock.
He's physically overpowering a demonic beast?
Is he even human anymore?
It was common knowledge that demonic beasts possessed unmatched physical strength, while cultivators excelled in wielding mystical arts. Yet today, they had witnessed a man overpowering a demonic beast in a test of brute force—and winning!
Luo Yu had regained some composure, but the loss of his horn had inflicted irreversible damage. He futilely pried at Xu Sanyan's hand, struggling to break free.
Xu Sanyan abandoned all pretense, suddenly unleashing his full aura. The overwhelming presence of a Peak Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator swept across the battlefield.
Chi Yu's bewildered gaze sharpened abruptly, his eyes widening as he muttered, "Foundation Establishment... Peak Stage?"
He never imagined that Junior Brother Xu, who had always followed him around calling him "Senior Brother Chi" so earnestly, was actually at the Peak Stage of Foundation Establishment.
Xu Sanyan's hand tightened, piercing the Gold-Devouring Beast's neck. A torrent of blood gushed forth, drenching his body and staining him crimson, transforming him into a demonic overlord of the human realm.
Xu Sanyan flung the beast aside and turned to Luo Yu. "From now on," he declared in a deep voice, "you no longer need to follow these two failures. The position of Holy Son is mine for the taking!"
With deliberate force, he tightened his grip. Luo Yu's face flushed scarlet, and he gasped hoarsely, struggling for breath.
Crack!
The sound of Luo Yu's neck snapping was sharp and distinct, yet to the assembled disciples, it echoed like a thunderclap, its piercing resonance unnerving.
Luo Yu's arm fell limp. In his final moments, he felt a profound sense of resentment. He had exhausted his family's fortune and prepared numerous schemes, including the Stone General, all for the Holy Son position, only to see them all rendered useless.
Xu Sanyan, having twisted Luo Yu's head off, left the corpse at the disciples' feet. "Who supports me? Who opposes me?"
The disciples stared blankly at Xu Sanyan. After a moment, Chi Yu bowed deeply and spoke first: "Greetings, Senior Brother Xu."
"Greetings, Senior Brother Xu..."
The others snapped out of their stupor and hastily offered their respects.
As members of the demonic sect, loyalty was a rare commodity. Besides, with Luo Yu dead and Zhou Longsheng undoubtedly soon to follow, Xu Sanyan was now their only viable choice.
As for defecting to another Branch, even if they were accepted, the coveted five Supporter positions were already out of reach. No matter how the chips fell, none of them stood a chance.
"Hahaha... Excellent!" Xu Sanyan threw his head back and laughed heartily. He turned and leaped into the deep pit, gazing down at the unconscious Zhou Longsheng. With a brutal stomp, he crushed Zhou's skull. From that moment onward, Xu Sanyan was the sole cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage in the Crimson Heart Faction.
He bounded out of the pit and landed before the group, reverting to his human form. The others followed suit, shedding their Dao bodies.
Xu Sanyan opened his mouth and retrieved his storage pouch. He had tucked it inside earlier when manifesting his Dao body to prevent it from getting lost. He changed into fresh clothes from the pouch, then casually picked up Luo Yu's and Zhou Longsheng's storage pouches and pocketed them.
With a wave of his hand, he instructed, "Gather the belongings of our fallen brothers and divide them among yourselves. No need to let the dead's possessions go to waste."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Xu."
The Demonic Seed within Chi Yu's heart continued to exert its influence, making him feel an unnatural closeness to Xu Sanyan. A fleeting thought crossed his mind: Following Senior Brother Xu might be better than sticking with Senior Brother Luo...
(End of the Chapter)
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