Chapter 133 - 132: Soul Burner (3/3, thanks to alliance leader Zhen Xing He!)

Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Soul Burner (3/3, thanks to alliance leader Zhen Xing He!)The breath of the dying Martial Artist subsided, and his heart calmed. Then, Instructor Li slowly revealed the truth, "That Evil Born Demon indeed suffered heavy damage...among the group that came to pursue you, there was a Martial Meridian Grandmaster who directly crushed that Evil Born Demon." "But that Evil Born Demon had a trump card; it was a Divided Demon of a Great Heavenly Demon, and when facing defeat, it borrowed the strength of its main body. The Grandmaster, caught off guard, was ambushed and even had half of his body devoured—yet could my Divine Sect Grandmaster perish so easily by demon hands? Before his death, Master Shu unleashed his Divine Skill, gravely wounding the Heavenly Demon." "Now, that Evil Born Demon is hunting beasts and villagers in the vicinity, devouring their Life Souls to recover from its injuries...it’s much stronger than Inner Breath Martial Artists like you and me, but compared to its original state, it has been greatly weakened." "If you truly have some trump cards, perhaps you could really defeat it." "Finally... An Jing." "This is the ’Houtu Divine Mixed Yuan Body Cultivation Method’ that was originally to be bestowed upon you after the Ritual Sacrifice." Veins bulging, Instructor Li, clearly on the brink of death, trembled as he pulled out a closely guarded tome from his bosom, "Even though you killed the Manor Master and Old Xu, I do not hate you. How could I not know the ruthlessness of the Divine Sect? Butchering people like livestock, refining people as if refining oil, those of us who do such acts, those of us who consume Blood Pills are no better than beasts." "You are still young, and it is natural for you to hate. I only dare not hate, powerless to hate... I can only secretly resent..." "Hate this world." "If you also hate this world, then accept it... you will need it." The instructor struggled to lift his hand, holding up the tome. An Jing believed that if he did not take it soon, within moments, Instructor Li would lose his last bit of strength, allowing the tome to drop into the bloody muck mixed on the mountain trail. An Jing could also use this to sever this tenuous connection to the tangled relationship with the Heaven’s Will Cult. But An Jing never feared entanglements. He made a choice that fit his character. "I do not accept it merely because I hate this world, but also because I need this power." An Jing took the tome with his left hand, his right hand forming a hollow grip, the Blood Fiend long sword pressed against the neck of Instructor Li, shrouded in Demonic Qi, "Xu... what is the name of that White-robed Scholar?" With such an inquiry, the young Martial Artist had many things he wanted to ask, but ultimately, he just sighed and asked the final question, "Also, why did you... join the Heaven’s Will Cult?" "Xu... Chang Jing." With great effort, Instructor Li spat out the last three words, lacking the strength to reply further. But upon hearing An Jing’s final question, his lingering thoughts flickered and reverted back to many years ago when he was abducted from the county town by Human Traffickers, sold as a servant to some rural household. Hard labor, beatings, humiliation, contempt. No words could describe it; it was despair trampled into the dust... on hundreds of nights, he fantasized that his parents and the officials would rescue him, escaping the ugly cage. Then one day, having resigned himself to his fate, he heard familiar voices, his parents calling his pet name. In stunned shock, trembling and ecstatic, he wanted to scale the wall to escape, but while attempting to climb, he heard screams, and those familiar voices never sounded again. A while later, the officials arrived, and he heard the landowner’s righteous speech. "Just now, two Human Traffickers came, trying to kidnap my child, and were discovered by my servants. Caught up in the excitement, they accidentally went too far and killed them... Look, no problem, right?" "Oh, Old Master Huang, you’ve done a great deed here, human traffickers deserve nothing less than death..." Dead. All dead. After the parents who came searching for their child in the remote countryside were killed as traffickers, all evidence was obliterated. How foolish! Didn’t they know, in these rural areas where slaves are bought, that the entire village is in collusion! In such places, it’s too easy for them to kill and silence witnesses! Why did they come to find him... why did he still hope to be rescued? At that time, all An Jing wanted was to die himself. The Yamen of Da Chen never cared about these details. Perhaps they had been in cahoots from the very beginning? The details were unclear, but ultimately, Li Xiang escaped that cage, fled into the deep mountains, and became a "Refugee". In a dazed state, he sold himself and became a member of the Demon Sect. Gradually, he became a "Demon Leader" who slaughtered, looted, and ravaged the countryside, annihilating the entire Huang Family. Did the Divine Sect devour humans? Of course, he understood, but at the very least, the Divine Sect had bought his life, albeit cheaply, taking advantage of him, even deceiving him... yet the Divine Sect gave him power! As long as he had the opportunity for revenge, he was clearly and willingly devoured! What about those serfs, house servants, people driven to death by harsh policies and heavy burdens... Were they not also devoured to their bones, even across generations?! It was such a man who saw An Jing, who depended solely on his mother, even selling himself to save her. Only then did his heart, which was once as hard as iron, slightly stir, and he offered an unusually high price. In his final moments, Instructor Li raised his head, his eyes, soon to be completely tainted by Demonic Qi, staring intently at An Jing. — An Jing, I have killed countless people, my sins are innumerable. Your killing me is just and righteous! I harbor no resentment or hatred, even relief! But if possible... — Also, sever the heads of those other cannibals! Dark red corrupt blood spurted out as Instructor Li’s head fell. His body instantly decayed, turning into a flow of black water on the ground. Before being completely tainted by demons, An Jing had beheaded him. Even without words, An Jing could still understand the other’s resentment and relief. Some people live simply because they have no reason to die. If they had a chance to use themselves as a fire seed to ignite the world, they would burn it. An Jing was different. He could choose riches, achievements, to join a side, become a member there, a pillar of that side, a Divine General and Heaven’s Chosen. He didn’t need to join the Demon Sect to have power. He chose to burn of his own accord, to ignite his own soul, not the flesh and blood of others. So An Jing responded to him. "I will, no one will be an exception, including myself." Stepping over his body, An Jing waved his sword made of Blood Fiend, continuing to walk toward the smoky and chaotic mountain village, now a hunting ground and den for the Evil Born Demon. It was close, so close. The path through the forest became wider, and the shadow of the village wall ahead could faintly be seen. An Jing smelled the sour stench of vomit mixed with stomach acid. And a swath of scorched land and the blazing ruins of the village emerged before him. This place was once a peaceful, tranquil countryside village. Scattered fences and mud-and-stone walls protected the scattered vegetable fields, with small paths running through the village like blood vessels. Now, the village was filled with broken walls and traces of battle everywhere. Everything was shrouded in pitch-black smoke, and scattered skeletons and remains lay beside the roads and in houses, outlined by the flickering firelight. The view kept rising, rising. Until he could overlook this completely destroyed mountain village, until he could see on the village’s edge, a Demon Monster with broken wings and a leg, lying dormant in a shelter made of bones and debris. The drone’s buzzing flowed in mid-air, sounding then sharpening as it accelerated. Immediately after, it turned into the piercing cry of an eagle-owl, plummeting from the sky, rapidly swooping down!