The Dao of Reincarnation (165-167) (Patreon)

Chapter 165: The Life-Slaughter Demon Lord (Part 5)

A desolate ancient star.

The planet had not always been barren. However, once news of a Saint's inheritance leaking out spread, all life on the entire star was wiped clean. The faction that once occupied the planet had tried to monopolize the Saint's legacy, but they accidentally triggered a restriction, causing the Saint's ruins to be exposed to the world.

A refined-looking young man followed his elders to the Saint's ruins. This refined youth came from the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion and was named Xie An. He was also Su Chen.

As a notorious assassin from the Killing God Hall, Su Chen naturally would not enter the Saint's ruins under the hall's name. That would be no different from seeking death. Therefore, he had chosen to borrow someone else's identity to enter the ruins.

Xie An was the unfortunate soul chosen for this role.

At this moment, countless forces of various sizes, different races, and even several renowned geniuses with powerful strength had already gathered on the ancient star.

A vast, chasm-like abyss blocked everyone's path. On the other side of the abyss lay the Saint's ruins.

Yet no one dared to cross it.

Terrifying restrictions filled the chasm. Every single person who had attempted to cross had died without exception, falling into the abyss and smashing into a pulp of flesh and blood.

The powerful faction that had tried to claim the Saint's ruins for themselves had accidentally triggered this deadly restriction, resulting in the death of all their members.

"So it's the Origin Sealing Array… It seems this Saint was not a benevolent person. Even in death, he wanted to set a trap for future generations."

Although Su Chen was not highly proficient in formations, his vast experience allowed him to easily recognize the truth behind why everyone kept falling into the abyss.

The Origin Sealing Array was a terrifying formation capable of instantly sealing a martial artist's origin energy, preventing them from flying.

Those who had tried to cross the heavenly chasm had their energy sealed and plummeted to their deaths.

"Look! Someone else is trying to cross the heavenly chasm and reach the other side."

"Is he looking to die? Even Void Refining realm cultivators couldn't make it across. Earlier, the Scarlet Pine Emperor tried to rely on his cultivation to cross and fell halfway, smashing to death."

"Senior Brother Murong, don't! Come back quickly!"

"He seems to be making it across… How is that possible?"

"Senior Brother Murong, please don't come back!"

"…"

The disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion watched the slender figure walking across the chasm with excited expressions.

Su Chen looked over and felt slightly surprised. The thin young man moved with absolute confidence, strolling leisurely through the air as if taking a casual walk, and easily reached the other side.

"He has cracked the Origin Sealing Array. It seems he anticipated this. The Saint left a slim chance of survival within the array, a path leading directly to the inheritance ground."

Cracking the Origin Sealing Array was not particularly difficult, but it had still been set up by a Saint and contained lethal killing intent. For someone to crack it so easily… either this person was the Saint's reincarnation, or he had known in advance that an Origin Sealing Array existed here.

Su Chen's expression turned strange. This person was not Xiao Sha… Had he run into another one of Xiao Sha's chess pieces again?

This Xiao Sha really wanted to monopolize every opportunity that appeared.

"Senior Brother Xie, don't be reckless!"

The Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion disciples tried to stop Su Chen as he stepped forward to cross the heavenly chasm, but they were still one step too late.

"Idiot. Just because he saw someone else cross, he rushes to his death. If the chasm were so easy to cross, would we still be standing here?"

No one held any hope for Su Chen.

However, when he reached the middle of the chasm, everyone's expressions changed drastically, filled with shock and uncertainty.

"Could he really cross the heavenly chasm?"

"How is that possible? Does the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion have a method to cross it?"

When Su Chen successfully reached the other side, the crowd went completely mad. They had come here for the Saint's inheritance, yet they could only stand outside and watch helplessly as others crossed over to claim it. The unwillingness in their hearts burned fiercely.

A great battle erupted. The fact that two people who could reach the other side and access the Saint's inheritance were both disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion made everyone believe that the pavilion possessed a way to break the Origin Sealing Array.

Unfortunately, the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion had no such method at all.

"These people from the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion—from elders to ordinary disciples—really know how to keep their mouths shut!"

No matter how the crowd threatened and coerced them, even until the sect was completely destroyed, the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion never revealed any method to cross the chasm.

Because they truly did not know!

Some people still chose to attempt crossing the heavenly chasm, but without exception, they all died. The rest grew restless and decided to wait where they were, hoping to reap the benefits without effort.

Su Chen entered the Saint's ruins.

Although his attainments in formations were not deep, a mere Origin Sealing Array could not stop him.

"Junior Brother Xie? Why can you also enter the Saint's ruins?"

Inside the ruins, Murong Ying noticed Su Chen entering as well, his eyes sharp.

Su Chen smiled. "Senior Brother Murong, I believe that question should be directed at you instead."

Murong Ying knew that his safe entry into the ruins was entirely thanks to a forbidden-breaking pearl he had obtained earlier.

However, he had no intention of answering Su Chen's question. The long sword on his back hummed, and the sharp sword light illuminated the entire ruins.

"Junior Brother Xie… you should never have come here to covet something that does not belong to you."

Killing intent surged from Murong Ying. He would not allow a second person to touch the Saint's inheritance!

He planned to kill Su Chen, regardless of whether this was his fellow disciple or not.

Chapter 166: The Life-Slaughter Demon Lord (Part 6)

Facing the incoming sword light, Su Chen calmly extended two fingers. The sword light shattered inch by inch at his fingertips.

Watching the face before him twist with shock and terror, Su Chen merely pointed out a single finger.

Murong Ying suffered a heavy blow. His body was torn apart like a broken rag doll, his face filled with horror.

"You are not Junior Brother Xie… Who exactly are you?"

There was no resistance at all. The two of them were not on the same level.

Su Chen looked at Murong Ying with interest, as if trying to see through him completely. "Who I am is not something you need to know. Tell me everything you know about Young Master Wusheng. If you do, I might consider giving you a quick death."

Upon hearing the name Young Master Wusheng, Murong Ying's pupils shrank violently.

This confirmed Su Chen's suspicion. As expected, Murong Ying was one of Xiao Sha's chess pieces, just like Cheng Wu. He could seize the Saint's opportunity, and in the future, if Xiao Sha issued a call, he might truly gather a group of powerhouses forged by the tides of the era.

"You actually know about Young Master Wusheng… Aren't you afraid of his retaliation?"

Murong Ying's eyes were filled with deep wariness. He knew exactly what kind of person Young Master Wusheng was, yet the man before him dared to inquire about his information!

Su Chen waved his hand. A small sword condensed in his palm and slashed directly onto Murong Ying's body. Although there was no visible injury, Murong Ying immediately showed extreme pain, his face contorted in agony.

Su Chen had no patience to waste time with him. If not for Murong Ying's extraordinary bloodline and the backing of the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion—fearing that soul searching might invite unnecessary trouble—he would have directly used the technique.

Before long, Murong Ying could no longer endure and begged for mercy.

Su Chen released his grip. He was not dealing with an old monster or a heavenly pride with an unshakeable Dao heart. A little torture was usually enough to loosen such a person's tongue.

Murong Ying said hoarsely, "If I tell you everything I know about Young Master Wusheng, you must let me go."

Su Chen frowned slightly.

Murong Ying continued, "I won't reveal anything about you. I will even help you deal with Young Master Wusheng. He used methods to control my life. As long as he dies, I can regain my freedom."

Su Chen's brows relaxed. He nodded and said, "I see. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I swear that as long as you reveal everything you know about Young Master Wusheng, I will spare your life and work with you to deal with him."

Murong Ying looked terrified as he spoke, "I don't know who Young Master Wusheng really is, but I know he comes from the Killing God Hall… I once saw a terrifying old man beside him. Young Master Wusheng called him the Killing Ancestor, and that old man called Young Master Wusheng 'Young Lord'!"

Killing Ancestor… Only that ancient figure in the Killing God Hall was addressed as such. He was a legendary character of the hall, extremely terrifying, and represented its true foundation, protecting the Killing God Hall so its inheritance would never be cut off across eras.

Having such a powerful expert by his side… this would indeed be somewhat troublesome.

Su Chen's expression remained unchanged as he continued to ask, "What other trump cards does Young Master Wusheng have?"

Murong Ying lowered his head and said, "Young Master Wusheng has another secret… The Killing Emperor's inheritance allows him to grow stronger by killing geniuses. I personally witnessed him kill a genius and break through in cultivation because of it."

Fearing Su Chen might not believe such a shocking secret, Murong Ying added, "That genius was a successor of my Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion. In order to break through and to help me gain more attention within the pavilion, Young Master Wusheng killed him right in front of me. I would not lie to you about this."

Su Chen snorted inwardly, but he was not surprised. In the cultivation world, everyone pursued profit. He had long grown accustomed to its darkness. What truly surprised him was the Killing Emperor's inheritance.

He knew of the Killing Emperor, but his understanding of this mysterious figure was shallow. The Killing Emperor remained extremely enigmatic even among the myriad races. No one knew which race he came from, and not even the details of how he had proven his Dao had ever spread.

"The Killing Emperor's inheritance actually uses killing intent to temper the will, abandoning the physical body and walking the path of the soul. Truly worthy of a Great Emperor. What astonishing talent and insight."

Among the three thousand great Daos, every path theoretically led to Emperorhood. However, in the current era, most cultivators practiced both body and law refinement, and Great Emperors were no exception. Those who proved their Dao through alternative paths were extremely rare, yet every single one of them had been astonishingly brilliant.

Su Chen sighed inwardly, but his heart grew even more fixated on the Killing Emperor's inheritance. Alternative paths to Emperorhood were so scarce. Now that he had encountered such a legacy, he would regret it for several lifetimes if he failed to obtain it.

Su Chen kept his word and did not attack Murong Ying.

This allowed Murong Ying to breathe a sigh of relief.

As a temporary partner, Su Chen even brought Murong Ying along to explore the Saint's ruins together.

The two of them swept through the treasures inside until they finally arrived before a tall, dilapidated divine statue. The figure carved on the statue had an overbearing expression. It was the remnant image of the master of these ruins.

Murong Ying suppressed his surging excitement and volunteered, "The Saint's inheritance is likely placed inside the divine statue. There may be terrifying restrictions. Allow me to go ahead and scout the path for you, sir."

Su Chen stared at him for a moment, causing Murong Ying's scalp to go numb and the smile on his face to freeze.

In the end, Su Chen still nodded.

Murong Ying felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He cautiously approached the divine statue. Distant runes appeared in his eyes and resonated with the statue. The originally silent divine statue suddenly stirred. Sensing the movement, Murong Ying laughed wildly, "Ancestor! I am a descendant of the Murong Family. Please activate the ancestral sacred weapon to slay the enemy!"

The reason he could enter these ruins was not only because of the forbidden-breaking pearl… The Saint who had sat and passed away here was precisely the ancestor recorded in his Murong Family's archives!

He had endured everything just for this moment!

The instant the sacred weapon was about to activate, Murong Ying suddenly felt a chill run down his back. When he turned around, his body instantly stiffened. The formation outside had disappeared at some point. A familiar figure stood behind him, looking up at the soaring pillar of light with deep, unfathomable eyes.

A cold voice sounded beside his ear.

"It turns out to be a Saint King weapon. Without you, I might not have been able to obtain this Saint King weapon so easily."

Murong Ying stared at that figure, which seemed to grow infinitely taller. The light behind him gradually faded. Until his dying breath, his eyes remained filled with utter disbelief.

"When… did you find out?"

Even in death, he never understood how Su Chen had seen through his scheme and played him like a puppet in the palm of his hand.

Chapter 167: The Life-Slaughter Demon Lord (Part 7)

Su Chen gazed at the revived Murong Family saint weapon—a pair of Golden Dragon Truncheons that emanated a terrifying dragon might. They had answered the call of the Murong Family's soul incantation, but with Murong Ying dead, the truncheons lost the guidance of the Murong bloodline and fell silent once more.

The Murong Family's ancestor had been a remarkable figure. He had slain a pure-blooded Saint Dragon and forged its body into this saint weapon. Fearing that his descendants might not be able to suppress the Golden Dragon Truncheons after his unexpected death, he had erased the weapon's spirit before passing away. Only those of Murong blood could awaken it.

Su Chen glanced at Murong Ying's corpse. In his previous life, he had spent thousands of years comprehending demonic patterns. Although he had not fully mastered them, he had improved the Heaven Swallowing Earth Devouring Divine Art slightly on that foundation.

Several days later, Murong Ying's body vanished. Su Chen had seized the Murong Family bloodline and easily used it to take control of the Golden Dragon Truncheons—a powerful Saint King weapon. This would serve as his trump card, one that gave him the confidence to face the Life-Slaughter Saint King and Xiao Sha directly.

He also looted every treasure within the entire Saint's ruins.

Outside the ruins, far too many people were still waiting.

"Someone has come out!"

Everyone turned their eyes toward the other side of the heavenly chasm.

"It's Murong Ying from the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion! He made it out!"

The figure that emerged was naturally Su Chen. He had abandoned Xie An's identity and taken on Murong Ying's appearance.

" Murong Ying, hand over the Saint's inheritance! Perhaps we will spare your life!"

"That's right! If you don't surrender the inheritance today, don't even think about leaving this place!"

"…"

Countless martial artists stared with burning greed. Why could people from the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion enter the Saint's ruins while they could not? Since that was the case, they would simply wait like hunters by a tree stump and rob whoever emerged with the opportunities.

'Murong Ying' showed fury on his face and roared, "You slaughtered my elders and killed my senior brothers and sisters, and now you want me to hand over the inheritance? Bah! Even if I, Murong Ying, die, I will never let you succeed!"

The Saint King weapon, the Golden Dragon Truncheons, was summoned by 'Murong Ying'. Holy might transformed into a sacred dragon that swallowed the sun and moon with each breath. Countless martial artists died without even uttering a scream.

"It's a saint weapon—and a fully awakened one at that!"

The crowd froze in shock before fleeing in panic. They had never expected 'Murong Ying' to possess a saint weapon, let alone one that could be awakened. This was far too terrifying. A Saint stood at the peak of the myriad races; even a mere weapon from such a being could dominate the universe!

All thoughts of opportunities were thrown to the wind. Before a Saint, all were mere ants.

'Murong Ying' had no intention of letting them escape. He raised the Golden Dragon Truncheons alone and pursued the fleeing cultivators.

The moment he stepped out of the ancient star, the vast starry sky seemed to freeze. A giant hand holding countless stars descended, covering an entire continent.

The escaping martial artists saw hope, and their faces lit up with joy.

"It's a Saint! A Saint has actually taken action! We are saved!"

A Saint appeared in the starry sky and moved to block the Golden Dragon Truncheons. The power of a higher life level made all beings feel instinctive awe from the depths of their souls, compelling them to submit like ants gazing up at a god.

"Junior, this saint weapon carries too much killing intent. It is not something you can control. Allow me to safeguard it for you."

The Saint reached out, intending to seize the Golden Dragon Truncheons.

The weapon's light dimmed. Just as it was about to be taken away, 'Murong Ying' roared furiously, "Nonsense! You simply covet the inheritance of my Murong Family! I, Murong Ying, will definitely return one day and make you pay for this!"

These words stunned countless martial artists. This ant-like figure actually dared to threaten a Saint!

Killing intent blazed in the Saint's eyes as he prepared to exterminate Murong Ying. At that critical moment, the previously dim Golden Dragon Truncheons erupted with holy might once more. They directly carried 'Murong Ying' away. Seeing this, the Saint immediately gave chase.

The starry sky returned to silence.

…

Eternal World.

After annihilating the Northern Dawn Empire, Xiao Sha soared straight into the top three of the Heavenly Pride Ranking, shocking the entire Eternal World.

Everyone now knew that the fourth young master of the Xiao Family, Xiao Sha, was the true hidden dragon of the clan.

"In this life, I have reversed the fate of the Xiao Family."

Having made up for the regrets of his previous life, Xiao Sha felt extremely pleased.

Yet he knew that although he was no longer the same person, he had now stepped onto a much larger stage—one where half his foot already rested above a ten-thousand-zhang abyss. Even though he had eliminated many geniuses and monsters who could threaten him, there were still powerful talents in this era capable of endangering him. Xiao Sha refused to repeat the mistakes of his last life and had no choice but to keep moving forward.

"The ruins of the Murong Family ancestor should be opening soon. Murong Ying will obtain the inheritance inside. I remember that in my previous life, he relied on that very inheritance to rise rapidly and become one of the Saints of this era!"

Xiao Sha had planted many hidden pieces. Numerous future powerhouses had already been subdued by him, serving as his trump cards for the road to Emperorhood. Murong Ying, whether in talent or destiny, ranked among the very top across the myriad races of this era.

Just as Xiao Sha was contemplating how best to use Murong Ying as a chess piece to stir up greater storms and reap more benefits, he received grim news.

"Murong Ying… is dead?"

Xiao Sha's expression turned extremely ugly. Murong Ying—the one he had placed high hopes on, the one who was supposed to become his left and right arm in the future—had actually died!

Furious, Xiao Sha vowed to investigate the full story and make whoever killed Murong Ying pay the price.

Soon, he learned the details. Murong Ying had indeed entered the ruins of his family's ancestor and walked out alive. Everything had gone according to his previous life's memories. Murong Ying had used the sacred weapon to slaughter in all directions.

But then… a Saint had intervened!

First Cheng Wu had died unexpectedly, and now Murong Ying had met with an accident and been killed by a Saint.

These events had completely slipped out of Xiao Sha's control.

"Good… very good, Dragon Lizard Clan Saint!"

Xiao Sha put on his mask and transformed into Young Master Wusheng. He would make the entire Dragon Lizard Clan bear the full weight of his wrath.

Several months later.

The Dragon Lizard Clan was wiped out. Even their Saint perished, his Dao extinguished. Not a single clansman escaped.

The incident sent shockwaves across the world, filling countless beings with terror. A powerful race protected by a Saint had vanished overnight. Investigation soon revealed that the Killing God Hall was behind it, acting on orders from Young Master Wusheng himself.

"Why would the Dragon Lizard Clan offend Young Master Wusheng of the Killing God Hall?"

Some were puzzled.

Before long, others connected it to a major event from half a year earlier. The Dragon Lizard Clan Saint had tried to seize the inheritance of the Murong Family ancestor and attacked Murong Ying… Could Murong Ying have been one of Young Master Wusheng's people?

Gasps rang out. Young Master Wusheng was terrifying beyond measure!