Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The spatial rift was like a giant maw that devoured everything, spitting out the entire Chen family all at once.

The moment they landed, the intense feeling of weightlessness caused many of the weaker members of the Chen family's collateral branches to turn pale, and some even knelt on the ground and began to vomit.

This is the edge of the Three Emperors' Secret Realm.

The world before my eyes was a hazy gray, the sky was low and seemed about to collapse at any moment.

The air was filled with a musty, rotten smell, the deathly aura of bone fragments fermenting in the soil over millions of years.

"Alert! Form ranks!"

Chen Fan was the leader of this collateral group. He suppressed the churning in his stomach, drew the long sword from his waist immediately, and shouted hoarsely.

But it was too late.

Before the disciples, still shaken, could regain their footing, pairs of scarlet eyes suddenly lit up from the thick, gray-white fog around them.

"Click, click."

The sickening sound of bones grinding together came from all directions.

Dozens of enormous, skeletal wolves, like demons crawling out of hell, dragged their mutilated bodies as they burst out of the mist.

These things had no flesh and blood, only stark white bones, with eerie green will-o'-the-wisps flickering in their eye sockets.

Each one exuded an aura comparable to a cultivator at the peak of the Cave Profound Realm.

"It's a bloodthirsty bone wolf! Defend!"

Someone screamed in terror.

For these collateral descendants who were usually just average in the family, encountering a horde of beasts of this level as soon as they landed was a catastrophic disaster.

Panic spread instantly.

The already disorganized formation was instantly broken up.

A bone wolf leaped high into the air, its sharp bone claws carrying a foul stench, heading straight for the face of a terrified female disciple.

The female disciple's eyes widened, and even her scream caught in her throat. She could only watch helplessly as death descended upon her.

"Zheng—"

A very faint sword hum.

There was no dazzling sword light, nor any earth-shattering momentum.

The bone wolf, still suspended in mid-air, suddenly stiffened.

Immediately afterwards, it was as if an invisible hand had squeezed him hard, and his entire skeleton instantly exploded, turning into bone dust that rained down everywhere.

Chen Xuan stood at the very front of the group, his broken sword not even fully drawn, only revealing a sliver of its gleaming edge.

He stared expressionlessly at the approaching pack of wolves, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion, as if these monsters, ready to devour anyone, were nothing more than a pile of moving rotten wood.

"You unfilial son, they're going to ambush that fat guy on the left."

Su Chang'an floated in mid-air, arms crossed, with a look of amusement on his face. "And on the right, that kid with the gun is shaking. If you don't make a move soon, he's going to wet his pants."

Chen Xuan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He ignored Su Chang'an's nagging and simply flicked his wrist slightly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several muffled explosions rang out in the air.

The three bone wolves that attempted to flank the Chen family disciples were unexpectedly blown to pieces three zhang away.

This is the strength of the Cave Profound Realm.

Even with a shattered Dao heart, even with only sword intent, crushing these inanimate objects is as easy as taking candy from a baby.

However, there were too many wolves.

Moreover, these creatures have no concept of fear; the death of their companions only fuels their insane bloodlust.

Chen Xuan could protect her for a time, but not forever.

"what!"

A piercing scream shattered Chen Xuan's rhythm.

At the rear of the group, a male disciple who reacted a little slower was bitten on the arm by a bone wolf. The sharp bone teeth instantly pierced through his protective spiritual energy, and blood gushed out.

The smell of blood, like water dripping into a hot oil pan, instantly ignited the entire wolf pack.

In the distance, the mist churned, and even more terrifying roars of beasts could be faintly heard, causing the earth to tremble slightly.

That was a beast king at the Transformation Realm, attracted by the blood energy.

"It's over...we're all going to die here..."

The disciple with the broken arm clutched his wound and cried out in despair.

Fear spreads among people like a plague.

Chen Xuan cleaved a bone wolf in two with a single sword strike, then glanced back at the chaotic "clan members" behind him.

His eyes were cold.

It was so cold it felt like looking at a bunch of burdens.

"Brother Chen Xuan!"

Chen Fan rushed over, his face covered in blood. He had been scratched so deeply in his back that the bone was visible, while trying to save someone, and he was now panting heavily.

He glanced at the precarious situation around him, then at the approaching terrifying aura in the distance, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

With a "plop".

Chen Fan knelt down directly in front of Chen Xuan.

"Brother Chen Xuan, you should go now!"

Chen Fan gritted his teeth, his voice filled with a sense of tragic determination, "With all of us as a burden, you won't be able to move fast. This is just the outer area; the real opportunities are in the central region. The Ji and Wang families have definitely already rushed over there."

"Our lives are worthless; we were sent by our families to be cannon fodder."

"You are different. You are...you are the last hope of our lineage."

Chen Fan raised his head, his blood-stained eyes fixed on Chen Xuan. "Please, don't worry about us! Just rush out alone. As long as you can obtain this opportunity, we'll die in peace!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples around him gradually quieted down their terrified cries.

Although they were afraid of death, they knew that Chen Fan was telling the truth.

If he takes them with him, Chen Xuan will be dragged to his death here.

Rather than being wiped out, it's better to preserve the strongest one.

"Brother Chen Xuan...please leave on your own!"

The disciple with the missing arm struggled to his feet and kowtowed to Chen Xuan.

Then, the second, the third...

The remaining twenty-odd members of the Chen family's collateral branches, though filled with resentment and fear, still knelt down one by one.

They lowered their heads, not daring to look Chen Xuan in the eye, awaiting their fate of being abandoned.

In their view, Chen Xuan, the notorious "madman" who dared to draw his sword even on the family elders, would definitely turn around and leave without hesitation.

After all, this is the rule of the cultivation world.

The weak eat the strong, the fittest survive.

The air was deathly still.

Only the roars of the beasts in the distance grew closer.

Chen Xuan stood still, the broken sword in his hand pointing diagonally at the ground, black wolf blood still dripping from the tip.

He looked down at his clansmen kneeling on the ground, his cold face revealing no emotion.

Su Chang'an floated beside him, watching this scene, a playful smile curving her lips.

She didn't speak, but simply reached out her finger and lightly poked Chen Xuan's tense cheek.

"You unfilial son, they've begged you to leave, why aren't you going?" Su Chang'an's voice carried a hint of mockery. "This is a great opportunity to get rid of this burden. Just nod your head and you can go have some fun on your own."

Chen Xuan's eyelid twitched.

He slowly sheathed his sword.

A soft "click" sounded.

It stood out remarkably clearly amidst the chaos of the battlefield.

Chen Fan, kneeling on the ground, trembled, and the light in his eyes dimmed instantly.

Sheathed the sword.

Is this a sign that they're leaving?

As expected... I was abandoned after all.

Chen Fan gave a bitter laugh, gripped the long sword in his hand, and prepared to face his final death.

However, the next moment.

Chen Xuan did not turn around and rush towards the center area.

He turned around, raised his hand, and pointed to the deep, dark canyon on the left, which was shrouded in dark green miasma all year round.

"Take the wounded with you."

Chen Xuan's voice was cold and flat. "This way."

Chen Fan was stunned.

He suddenly raised his head, looking at Chen Xuan in disbelief, thinking he had misheard.

"Go...go that way?"

Chen Fan's eyes widened as he pointed at the canyon, his voice trembling. "Brother Chen Xuan, that's 'Soul-Severing Valley'! The journey there is more than three times the distance of the main road! And it's filled with miasma. Although the monsters there aren't high-level, the terrain is complex. Once you go in..."

"Once we get inside, we'll be completely behind!"

"Ji Wushuang and that woman from the Wang family definitely took the main road. If we take this long detour, by the time we reach the central area, we might not even get a taste of the soup!"

Chen Fan panicked.

He thought Chen Xuan didn't know the way, or that he chose this route to take care of them.

"Shut up."

Chen Xuan coldly interrupted him.

He turned his head, his dark eyes sweeping over Chen Fan and then over the disciples who looked bewildered.

"Who said we were going to fight for first place?"

Chen Xuan's voice carried an undisguised sarcasm, "That idiot Ji Wushuang, and that woman from the Wang family, if they want to show off, let them."

"There are three beast kings at the peak of the Transformation Realm guarding the main road in the center."

"Let them fight, let them bleed."

Chen Xuan twitched his lips, revealing an extremely cold smile. "We'll take the long way. We'll collect the corpses after they've cleared the road and killed the Beast King."

"I don't like to sweat."

After saying that, Chen Xuan didn't even glance at the crowd, and turned to walk towards the direction of Broken Soul Valley.

"Keep up. Those who fall behind will die."

Chen Fan was dumbfounded.

All the Chen family disciples were dumbfounded.

They looked at each other, their minds buzzing.

So... that's how it is?

It's not about taking care of them, but about using them as porters so that others can reap the benefits.

This reason... sounds so reasonable, so cold, so heartless.

This perfectly matches Chen Xuan's "madman" persona!

"What are you waiting for! Hurry up and follow!"

Chen Fan was the first to react. He wiped the blood from his face and shouted excitedly, "We'll do as Brother Chen Xuan says! Take the wounded, we're heading towards Broken Soul Valley!"

The atmosphere of despair vanished instantly.

The crowd hurriedly helped the wounded up, as if they had grasped at the last straw, and followed Chen Xuan eagerly.

Su Chang'an floated above Chen Xuan's head, watching the rebellious son's ramrod-straight back, and laughed heartily.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

As she laughed, she stretched out her finger and drew circles near Chen Xuan's ear, "Clearly, she's afraid these noobs will die on the road, but she insists on saying that she's reaping the benefits without lifting a finger."

"What do you mean you don't like sweating? You seemed pretty energetic when you were killing the wolves earlier."

"You unfilial son, where did you get this arrogant and haughty habit from?"

"He's incredibly soft-hearted, but he insists on portraying himself as a major villain."

Su Chang'an floated in front of Chen Xuan, flying backwards. Her peach blossom eyes curved into crescents as she stared intently at Chen Xuan's face. "Admit it, you just can't bear to see them die."

Chen Xuan kept his eyes fixed ahead, his steps never faltering.

However, the ear that Su Chang'an was vaguely circling turned slightly red.

"Shut up."

He coldly replied in his heart, "Inner demons talk too much and easily dissipate."

"Hey! You dare curse your own father?" Su Chang'an wasn't angry at all; instead, he laughed even harder. "Fine, fine, you're a tactical mastermind, you're a ruthless killer, okay?"

Chen Xuan ignored her.

His grip on the sword loosened slightly.

Behind him came the sound of hurried footsteps and Chen Fan's low-voiced commands.

"Stay close! Don't fall behind!"

"Hey you, help Little Liu up!"

"Brother Chen Xuan is leading the way, let's not embarrass him!"

The fear and despair of the past were gone from those voices; in their place was an unprecedented sense of conviction and reliance.

As Chen Xuan listened to these voices, the hard lines at the corners of his mouth seemed to soften a little.

A whetstone?

If this knife is destined to break.

Before things break, let's escort those who need protection to the shore.

The entrance to the Valley of Broken Souls is right in front of us.

The dark green miasma churned and rolled, like a gaping maw.

Without any hesitation, Chen Xuan stepped inside.

The Chen family members followed closely behind.

No one looked back at the road that led to glory and opportunity.

Because they knew that following the black-clad figure in front of them was the only way to survive.