Swordholder

Chen Yuan unleashed a chilling killing intent, causing Tang Niannian's hair to stand on end, as if she had fallen into an ice cave!

"Young Master Chen... please spare our lives for the sake of us being from the same human family."

Tang Niannian feigned pitifulness and pleaded in a low voice.

"roll."

Chen Yuan uttered a single word calmly.

Tang Niannian felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and immediately led the remaining members of her clan down the mountain in a panic, without even having time to collect the bodies of her companions.

"Brother Ayuan."

Nuomi quickly stepped forward and handed the iron spikes she had picked up back to Chen Yuan.

"Follow them."

Chen Yuan took the iron spike, and the two of them flashed and sped down the mountain.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the depths of the vast jungle.

……

"Damn it! He's just a down-on-his-luck young master who caused the deaths of all his family members. What makes him so arrogant? How dare he swagger in front of us!"

At the foot of Xiezang Mountain, Tang Niannian breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing that there were no pursuers behind her, but couldn't help but mutter angry curses under her breath.

"Sister Nian, what should we do next?"

A young man from the Tang family spoke with a look of trepidation on his face.

Chen Yuan's combat power was too terrifying just now; he could easily kill a Dharma Body Realm expert.

"What else can we do? He can't cause any trouble on his own; he'll die here sooner or later!"

Tang Niannian's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as she said in a deep voice,

"On the other hand, if our Tang family doesn't cling to the Sun and Niu families, we will only be arbitrarily suppressed, and may even be deprived of our cultivation qualifications for the next ten years, just like the Chen family."

"But Sister Nian, is it really worth it for us to be so humble and subservient, selling our dignity and our bodies like dogs to please them?"

"We are, after all, cultivators from aristocratic families."

Another young man from the Tang family, his face filled with sorrow, questioned in a low voice.

"snort!"

Tang Niannian gave him a cold glare, her tone icy and cutting, "You remember this: as long as you're alive, you'll do anything for the Beast Clan, even if it means being their slave, a dog, or licking their ass!"

"Because our goal is to live."

"There are plenty of people in this world whose lives are worse than death. Even if we lose our dignity, living like this is still much better!"

At this point, resentment welled up in her eyes, mixed with a touch of inexplicable pity.

"Unlike those old bastards like Chen Qingcang from the Chen family, they're all a bunch of idiots!"

"Tolerating Chen Yuan's reckless and arrogant behavior? Hmph, that's what brought about this catastrophe of the disciples' complete annihilation!"

"Heh, really?"

Just as Tang Niannian finished speaking, a cold voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Chen Yuan had somehow already taken up a branch in front of him, holding a large golden bow in his right hand, coldly looking down at Tang Niannian and her group.

hiss!

Tang Niannian felt a chill run from her tailbone to the top of her head, and her whole body stiffened.

"Young Master Chen... Young Master Chen..."

"This...this is all a misunderstanding, please let me explain..."

Before Tang Niannian could finish speaking, an arrow imbued with mysterious yellow energy pierced through the air and instantly pierced her skull.

The others were filled with terror and hadn't even reacted when more than a dozen whooshing sounds rang out in succession.

In the blink of an eye, the remaining dozen or so members of the Tang family were all shot dead!

Chen Yuan had already given them a chance to live, but it seems they still don't know how to cherish it.

Then we can only take it back.

Nuomi skipped over and searched the corpse, finding several storage bags. She then walked back to Chen Yuan with a smile on her face.

"Walk."

Chen Yuan rubbed Nuomi's head, his gaze fixed on the direction of Yunduan Mountain, which was more than ten miles away, his eyes surging with murderous intent.

------

Clouds break over the mountains.

Located on the edge of the ruins of gods and demons, it is an ordinary mountain.

Atop the mountain stands an ancient castle, a temporary sanctuary built by monks in the past to explore the ruins of gods and demons.

The castle is protected by its own array, making it difficult for ordinary demons and evil spirits to approach, and even top-tier evil spirits dare not easily take over it.

Only those from the high-ranking positions in Tianqing County City are allowed to come and go freely and rest peacefully within the fortress.

Therefore, this place often attracts cultivators who come to explore and scavenge for treasures in the ruins of gods and demons.

However, the disciples of the Xiang Beast Clan now occupy this place, and the other rogue cultivators and scions of aristocratic families are all excluded.

At the foot of Yunduan Mountain, there is also a temporary campsite.

The Lu family members were stationed there to oversee and suppress the Zhang, Tang, and Li families, and to keep them in check.

If any ferocious beasts or evil spirits attack, these three families' disciples will be the first to act as buffers and cannon fodder in front of them.

"What's going on? Niannian has been gone for so long and hasn't come back yet?"

At the entrance of the camp, a young man from the Tang family paced back and forth, his face gloomy and anxious.

"I'm afraid the chances of survival are slim."

Another young man sighed softly, his face full of bitterness.

"Damn it! If Nian Nian doesn't return soon, we'll have to send more people to Evil Burial Mountain to investigate until we're sure all the Chen family members are dead."

"Especially Chen Yuan, we must not let him live. Once we find him, kill him immediately."

As Tang Bao, the leader, spoke, his eyes were filled with resentment, yet deep fear lurked in his heart.

The others remained silent, their expressions grim.

When Chen Yuan and Nuomi arrived at this place, they happened to see the dozen or so people stationed in front of the camp.

Based on the information revealed by Tang Niannian, Chen Yuan deduced that the person in front of him was Tang Niannian's elder brother, Tang Bao.

Chen Yuan looked up at the Cloud Broken Castle on the mountaintop. To reach the summit, one had to pass through this campsite at the foot of the mountain.

He immediately signaled Nuomi to hide, while he strode towards the camp.

"Halt! Who are you?"

As Chen Yuan, with his disheveled hair, approached, the Tang family members instantly became alert, each brandishing their knives, spears, and longswords, all pointing them at Chen Yuan.

Behind them, several ferocious wolves covered in black scales lowered their heads and let out low, warning howls.

"I am Chen Yuan."

Chen Yuan's sharp gaze locked onto Tang Bao, and he stated his name directly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Bao and the rest of the Tang family members' pupils shrank, and they looked him up and down with suspicion on their faces.

"Hmph, Chen Yuan is probably dead in Evil Burial Mountain long ago; there's no way he could have made it this far alive!"

A member of the Tang family spoke up.

Tang Bao's gaze was icy and piercing. He nodded slightly, agreeing with the clansman's words, and then immediately rebuked Chen Yuan sternly.

"Get out of here! Whether you're a rogue cultivator or a treasure hunter, no one is allowed to set foot in Cloudfall Mountain! This place is our territory for the next month!"

"Heh, really?"

Chen Yuan slowly raised his hand, brushing aside the messy long hair on his forehead to reveal his cold yet still somewhat boyish face, the chill in his eyes almost solidifying.

"What? It really is you!"

Tang Bao gasped in shock, his body stiffening abruptly.

Chen Yuan was already well-known in Tianqing City, and many people had seen him in person.

Some had seen portraits passed down in their families, so they could recognize Chen Yuan's appearance at a glance.

"Wow, you managed to escape with your life from such a dangerous place as Evil Burial Mountain? You're really lucky!"

Tang Bao's tone was full of disbelief, but he quickly switched to a mocking expression.

"Since you've survived by sheer luck, why aren't you finding a place to hide and eke out a living? What are you doing here?"

Chen Yuan's tone was icy cold, devoid of any warmth, as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly.

"I've come to kill you!"

These words struck Tang Bao like a thunderbolt, causing his face to change drastically and his heart to be filled with horror!

Before he could react, a cold glint flashed past.

puff!

The next instant, Tang Bao's head flew into the air and rolled to the ground. His eyelids blinked twice unconsciously before the horror in his eyes slowly froze, and he was completely lifeless.

The rest of the Tang family members only reacted at this moment. Before their exclamations could even reach their throats, Chen Yuan's figure had already flashed past like a ghost, leaving only a blur.

Puff puff--

A series of muffled thuds followed, and more than a dozen heads flew off, blood gushing out and staining the ground in front of the camp gate red.

Even the black-scaled wolves protecting the disciples were not spared. Chen Yuan cleaved their necks in two with a single stroke, and they fell into a pool of blood, twitching twice before going still.

At this moment, Chen Yuan had completely revealed his demonic nature!

His eyes gleamed with a scarlet, demonic light, and red markings, like intertwined tree branches, spread across his neck. A violent, malevolent aura emanated from him, almost overflowing from his body.

Deep down, an uncontrollable urge to kill surged within him!

At this moment, all he wanted was to vent his anger and annihilate all his enemies!

"You audacious madman! Who are you? How dare you commit murder in the camp of the Tianqing County Aristocratic Clan Gathering!"

Inside the camp, members of the Zhang, Tang, and Li families rushed out upon hearing the commotion.

When they saw the corpses scattered all over the doorway, and then saw Chen Yuan, who was covered in a murderous aura and had bloodshot eyes, everyone's face turned ashen and their expressions changed completely.

Chen Yuan showed no mercy whatsoever... Even if they were all human, even if some of them were familiar faces to Zhang Shan and the others... Anyone who stood in his way was doomed!

"I am Chen Yuan, the young master of the Chen family!"

Chen Yuan roared, gripping his long sword tightly in his right hand. The blade pointed diagonally at the ground, and blood dripped slowly from the tip, leaving a glaring bloodline on the ground, exuding a fierce aura.

Chen Yuan?

When everyone heard the name, their expressions changed drastically again, and exclamations of surprise rose and fell.

But in just a moment, shock was replaced by greed and fanaticism, and a burning light shone in every pair of eyes.

"My God, it really is Chen Yuan! He's still alive?"

"Even the Blood Demon of Evil Burial Mountain couldn't kill him? Damn, this kid's got too much luck!"

"Why is he all alone? Where are the other members of the Chen family? Are they all dead?"

"Heh, looks like he's gone mad. He actually dares to provoke us all by himself?"

Is this guy trying to take on a hundred people single-handedly, challenging all eight of our great families?

········

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their tone filled with mockery and greed.

It should be noted that the Zhang, Tang, and Li families together have over six hundred young men.

Even those who weren't all at the camp at the moment numbered at least five hundred, giving them an absolute advantage in numbers.

"Gentlemen! If we can capture Chen Yuan and hand him over to Young Master Niu and Young Master Sun, we will surely have rendered a great service!"

Someone shouted loudly, stirring up the crowd's emotions.

"Perhaps the young masters will be pleased and allocate more of their cultivation potential to us. This would be an incredible opportunity!"

Amidst the murmurs, the fervor in the crowd intensified. They gripped their weapons tightly and slowly approached Chen Yuan.

Their eyes were full of determination, as if they could already see the scene of meritorious service and reward.

"Those who stand in my way—die!"

Chen Yuan's eyes turned even redder. He saw that this group of people not only did not back down, but instead took the initiative to step forward and try to capture him.

His bloodlust erupted completely, and he immediately leaped into the air, charging towards the crowd!

puff!

A crimson blade of light swept out, unstoppable, and in an instant, more than a dozen heads flew into the sky!

Blood splattered all over Chen Yuan, which only made his expression more ferocious!

Immediately afterwards, Chen Yuan moved like a tiger among sheep, his speed astonishing. Amidst the flashing blades, heads rolled off one after another, and arms were severed one after another!

"ah······"

Screams and wails rose and fell, echoing throughout the camp.

"My God, he's too strong! We're no match for him!"

Some people were so terrified by the horrific scene before them that they were scared out of their wits!

His body trembled uncontrollably, and his pupils shrank to the size of pinholes!

Many people retreated, their previous fervor completely gone.

Chen Yuan did not stop at all, but continued to press forward step by step, each strike deadly, cutting down the gathered enemies one by one as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

Blood flowed down the ground, forming streams of blood, a horrifying sight.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Chen Yuan had killed two or three hundred people.

The remaining disciples finally panicked completely, losing all courage to resist. They screamed and turned around, frantically trying to escape the camp, hoping to save their lives.

But how could Chen Yuan give them a chance to escape?

Since these people dared to attack him, they must be prepared to pay with their lives!

If he himself is incapable, he will be killed by the other party.

So, if you can't kill me, then I'll kill you!

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