Chapter 71: Born with a Natural Pride

In that moment, Qin Haoxuan’s heart sank to the abyss. His senior brother’s greatest trump card had not only failed but had left him gravely injured. How could they possibly turn this around?

BAM!

His momentary distraction cost him dearly. Zhang Kuang’s talisman dog raked its claws across his chest, tearing open several wounds so deep that the bone was visible.

“Qin Haoxuan! You can die in peace! I’ll take care of your parents for you!”

Zhang Kuang summoned another surge of spiritual energy and commanded the dog to charge again. As Qin Haoxuan rolled across the ground, his mind raced. Trump card! Trump card! I need a trump card! The Formless Sword from the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley! Using it could damage the root of his Immortal Sprout and cut short his future on the cultivation path. But if he didn’t use it now, he and Senior Brother Pu would die here together, and there would be no future to worry about.

He made his decision instantly. The Formless Sword required an immense amount of spiritual energy. To use it against a Twentieth-Leaf expert like Yelu Qi, he would have to pour everything he had into a single, all-or-nothing strike. Gritting his teeth, he decided to risk it. It was better than sitting by and watching Yelu Qi murder his senior brother.

Unleashing the sword would take time. To lull them into a false sense of security, he deliberately reached into his robes, pretending to search for something. Both Zhang Kuang and Yelu Qi saw the gesture, but they paid it no mind. No matter how wealthy Qin Haoxuan’s family was, he couldn’t possibly possess a talisman more powerful than a Thirtieth-Leaf one. Besides, Yelu Qi still had another Thirty-Fifth-Leaf talisman clutched in his other hand, ready to be used at a moment’s notice.

After fumbling for a moment and producing nothing, Qin Haoxuan’s bluff made both of them first pause, then break into laughter. To think he would try to deceive them at a time like this.

“I thought he was going to pull out some tide-turning treasure,” Yelu Qi sneered. “Turns out he was just bluffing.”

Zhang Kuang, still directing his dog to harry Qin Haoxuan, added his own cold mockery. “If he had anything good, would he be getting chased around like a stray?”

In the instant they let their guard down to mock him, Qin Haoxuan made his move. While they were laughing, he had been preparing his final, killing blow. He clutched the Formless Sword in his right palm and, in a sudden surge, drew upon every last shred of spiritual energy in his body. This was the decisive moment; failure was not an option.

The spiritual energy in his body, like a great river, flooded into the tiny, invisible blade. The quiet sword began to vibrate violently. At the same time, the lush, vibrant Immortal Sprout in his Dantian withered, shriveling to the very edge of death.

To Zhang Kuang and Yelu Qi, it looked as if the spiritual energy around Qin Haoxuan suddenly flared, then just as quickly died down. Then, they saw him form a sword-finger with his right hand and slash it through the air toward Yelu Qi’s heart. The Formless Sword shot out like an arrow from a bow—silent, traceless, and utterly invisible.

Yelu Qi saw the gesture and felt a flicker of alarm, but saw nothing coming. An instant later, a chilling cold pierced his chest, followed by an explosion of unimaginable pain.

A hole the size of a man’s wrist had been blown clean through him, spraying a torrent of blood. A large tree behind him splintered with a crack, a matching hole appearing in its trunk. Yelu Qi’s body convulsed a few times on the ground, and then he stopped breathing.

Death, sometimes, comes just that suddenly. In his final moment, Yelu Qi still could not comprehend what had happened, or why he was dead.

“What was…” Zhang Kuang stared in horror at Yelu Qi’s corpse, then at Qin Haoxuan, who had collapsed to the ground, his hand still frozen in a spiritual seal. Zhang Kuang’s face went pale, and he forgot to command the dog to attack. One gesture from Qin Haoxuan, and Yelu Qi had died a bizarre, inexplicable death. The scene was beyond his comprehension. What kind of ultimate treasure did he possess? How could he kill Yelu Qi? A Twentieth-Leaf cultivator, killed in an instant? How was that possible?

Is he really dead? Pu Hanzhong glanced at the lifeless body, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. The feeling of having narrowly escaped death was overwhelming. How did Qin Haoxuan do that? He turned to look at his junior brother. The single strike had completely drained him. He sat slumped on the ground, gasping for breath, all his strength gone.

“Opportunity!” The thought jolted Zhang Kuang from his shock. His hands flashed through the taming seals, and the dog’s hind legs tensed as it lunged for the helpless Qin Haoxuan. Kill him! his mind screamed. Only by killing him can I survive! His eyes turned sharp and lethal.

“Junior Brother Qin, look out!” Pu Hanzhong struggled to his feet and threw his battered body in front of Qin Haoxuan. He gathered the last of his spiritual energy and commanded his own dog to slam into the side of the attacking talisman, knocking it off balance and sending it flying.

Zhang Kuang was shocked that Pu Hanzhong could still fight. It seemed that despite his injuries, he still had enough power left to deal with him. Now, with Yelu Qi dead, the dog talisman was his only advantage. Thankfully, it was much stronger than Pu Hanzhong’s. But he knew his control time was limited. He had to finish them both, and quickly.

Zhang Kuang’s dog rolled on the ground, then sprang back to its feet and charged Pu Hanzhong’s talisman again. He knew he had to seize the initiative, or he would be the one to die here. As the dog lunged, Pu Hanzhong commanded his own talisman in a brilliant “lazy donkey roll.” He knew his taming skills were far superior to Zhang Kuang’s, but his talisman was too weak for a direct confrontation. He had planned to use the roll to get behind Zhang Kuang’s dog and attack it from the rear.

But just as he was about to strike, his own spiritual energy faltered. His dog froze for a split second.

Though Zhang Kuang was no master of taming, he was incredibly quick-witted. He had seen the danger of the flanking maneuver, but had been powerless to stop it. Now, seeing the momentary pause, he instantly seized the rare opportunity. He commanded his dog to spin around and swat Pu Hanzhong’s talisman, sending it tumbling to the very edge of the cliff. He followed up relentlessly, giving no quarter.

Qin Haoxuan watched in agony. He knew his senior brother’s injuries were making his control unsteady. One more hit, and his talisman would be lost. He was about to launch a Spiritual Sense attack at Zhang Kuang when he saw Pu Hanzhong’s fingers flash. The dirt-covered dog talisman scrambled to its feet and, from a bizarre angle, feigned a head-on charge.

Zhang Kuang was overjoyed. Had Pu Hanzhong lost his mind? Did he really think that useless dog could match his? He unhesitatingly commanded his own talisman to meet the charge, intending to shatter it to pieces.

But at that moment, Pu Hanzhong’s true mastery was revealed. He had his dog duck at an impossible angle, its body bending ninety degrees to evade the collision. Zhang Kuang’s dog, having lost its target and unable to stop its momentum, shot past and plunged silently over the cliff.

Without his talisman and facing a Tenth-Leaf expert determined to kill him, Zhang Kuang’s courage evaporated. His face went pale. He had no more trump cards. His mind raced, searching for an escape.

Just then, Qin Haoxuan opened his eyes, a murderous glint within them. “Senior Brother Pu,” he said, “you must kill Zhang Kuang. If he lives, he will surely return for us one day. We cannot let him escape!”

Pu Hanzhong glanced at Yelu Qi’s body and knew his junior brother was right. If they didn’t cut this weed out by the root, with his Purple Seed talent, Zhang Kuang would grow to a terrifying level of power. Given his vengeful nature, he would undoubtedly return to wipe out the entire Nature Hall. They could not leave such a threat alive.

Seeing his death was being decided, Zhang Kuang cried out, “Senior Brother Pu, listen to me! I am an Unsurpassed Purple Seed! Think about it! If you kill me, the Sect Master will be enraged! If you let me live, when I achieve greatness, I will give you countless spirit pills and teach you techniques you could never access. I will even make you the Master of the Nature Hall and grant it the same status as the other four great halls!”

He played his final trump card: his identity. He knew Pu Hanzhong was different from Qin Haoxuan. Qin Haoxuan was a newcomer with little attachment to the sect, but for Pu Hanzhong, the Taichu Sect was his home. Its rules were etched into his very bones.

A Purple Seed! Pu Hanzhong hesitated. He knew better than anyone how important an Unsurpassed Purple Seed was to the sect. A thousand of him were not worth one Zhang Kuang. Killing him was a crime punishable by a hundred deaths, and it would bring disaster upon his master. But letting him go meant certain death for him and Qin Haoxuan later. And beyond that… the Taichu Sect had been weak for years, suppressed by other great powers. A Purple Seed was their future, their hope of rising again. The disciples of Taichu can die, he thought, his heart heavy, but the future of Taichu cannot be severed!

Seeing his hesitation, Zhang Kuang pressed on. “Senior Brother Pu, you’re a veteran disciple. If you spare me, I will not forget it!”

The killing intent in Pu Hanzhong’s eyes began to fade. “Senior Brother, don’t soften!” Qin Haoxuan urged.

Zhang Kuang immediately cut in, speaking to Pu. “Senior Brother, don’t listen to him! If you help me kill Qin Haoxuan, I will pretend today never happened. I’ll come up with a reason for Yelu Qi’s death. I promise you glory and high status in the future!”

The last flicker of mercy in Pu Hanzhong’s mind was extinguished. To hear him, even in this situation, still obsessed with killing Qin Haoxuan—his own junior brother—filled him with rage. Even if he were offered the Great Dao itself, he would not let a single hair on Qin Haoxuan’s head be harmed. This man was truly beyond redemption. He could not be left alive.

“Ancestors of the Taichu Sect, Hanzhong has failed you!” Pu Hanzhong turned toward the Mountain of Heroic Spirits and bowed deeply. “The day my soul returns to the mountain will be the day I atone for my sins! Whatever the punishment, I will accept it! But today, this Purple Seed… I must kill!”

Zhang Kuang gasped. “Senior Brother, think clearly!” he pleaded. “I am an Unsurpassed Purple Seed! If you kill me, your entire Nature Hall will be buried with me!” As he spoke, he began to back away, forgetting in his panic that he was already on the edge of the cliff. He took one step back, his right foot finding only empty air. A cold dread washed over him. The cliff is behind me!

He turned his head and saw the bottomless, mist-filled abyss. Pu Hanzhong continued to advance, his face a cold mask. There was nowhere to run, no one to save him. An expression of profound regret crossed Zhang Kuang’s face. He looked to the heavens. “To think my immortal path would be severed before it truly began… I have no one to blame but myself. Qin Haoxuan, after I die… please take care of my parents.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded silently. Not long ago, Zhang Kuang had said something similar to him. Though they had become mortal enemies, neither wished to extend their hatred to the other’s family.

“Good!” Having received his promise, Zhang Kuang knelt and kowtowed in the direction of the Sect Master. “This disciple was born a Purple Seed and should have served the sect. But I have walked the wrong path and earned this fate. I have failed the Sect Master’s hopes. If there is a next life, I wish to enter the Taichu Sect again and serve it with all my strength!”

Qin Haoxuan was shaken. He could hear the sincerity in Zhang Kuang’s voice. He never would have imagined that in just a few short months, his rival had developed such a deep love for the sect. If things had not come to this, perhaps he could have been spared.

Having paid his respects, Zhang Kuang rose and turned to face the abyss. “I, Zhang Kuang, was born a Purple Seed!” he roared with a wild, magnificent pride. “How can I be killed by another’s hand! Qin Haoxuan! We will settle this in the next life!”

With his final words echoing in the mountain air, he leaped into the fathomless chasm.

(End of Chapter)