Chapter 127 - 125: Who Told You I Was from the Great Brightness Sect?
A war of attrition wasn't exactly honorable, but it was incredibly useful.
Besides, Chen Yuan wasn't sure if Pang Xizhen's inheritance contained other dangers, like trials or tests, so he had to conserve his strength.
At this point, Qiu Tianzheng had also realized Chen Yuan's plan, but there was nothing he could do.
The Qiu Family's Cultivation Technique actually had a flaw.
It wasn't that the Cultivation Technique Pang Xizhen left them was incomplete. Rather, to practice such a Supreme Yang style of Martial Arts, it was best to also have a balanced and moderate Daoist Cultivation Technique to stabilize one's foundation and offset the exertion.
But the Cultivation Techniques Pang Xizhen possessed had all been stolen, so naturally, he gave what he had.
Besides, when he gave the Cultivation Technique to his servant back then, it was only for self-preservation. He never imagined he would be founding a great family.
Sensing his Qi Blood growing weaker and the Supreme Yang aura around him starting to fade, a ruthless glint appeared in Qiu Tianzheng's eyes.
'The Qiu Family is finished. Even if I have to die, I'll drag him down with me!'
Golden True Essence surged, and his True Qi solidified, extending from Qiu Tianzheng's hands.
Forming a blade with his hand, Qiu Tianzheng chopped down. His strike was like the rising sun, and a brilliant golden light filled the entire hall.
Chen Yuan once again summoned the Killing Intent Origin. The immense Blood Fiend fused with the vast Blood Qi generated by the Blood Spirit Scripture.
With a single slash of his blade, a roaring river of blood surged forward. The two ultimate forms of Blood Qi merged, creating an overwhelmingly tyrannical Blade Momentum that instantly eclipsed the golden light of Qiu Tianzheng's chop.
A violent explosion echoed as the entire Qiu Family hall began to crack and collapse.
Qiu Tianzheng stood in place, wanting to say something, but his head wobbled, and a moment later, it tumbled to the ground.
Chen Yuan's complexion was only slightly pale.
Although he had summoned the Killing Intent Origin twice, it wasn't for long, so the drain on his Qi Blood wasn't too significant.
Chen Yuan walked into a pool of blood and stood beside a corpse. A faint, mocking smile touched his lips. "Still playing dead?"
The "corpse" stirred. A Qiu Family Martial Artist in his thirties with a Qi Casting Realm Cultivation rose and knelt before Chen Yuan, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Don't kill me! I'm not from the Qiu Family's Direct Lineage, just a disciple from a Side Branch! The Direct Lineage has always oppressed the Side Branches. I've long been dissatisfied with them and wanted to see them all dead!"
Chen Yuan raised a slight eyebrow.
'Isn't this the side branch disciple from the original story who helped Zuo Feiyu destroy the Qiu Family?'
"The location of the Great Brightness Sect's inheritance. Do you know it?"
The side branch disciple nodded cautiously. "Originally, only the Qiu Family's Direct Lineage knew about these critical matters. But I happened to overhear their discussion once and learned these secrets.
"The Qiu Family's Treasure Vault is in the deepest part of the manor. The Great Brightness Sect's inheritance is hidden deep within that Treasure Vault."
"Back then, that expert from the Great Brightness Sect should have also left your Qiu Family a Broken Sword for protection. Why didn't I see Qiu Tianzheng use it earlier?"
Back then, besides leaving the Qiu Family's ancestor a Cultivation Technique and Elixirs, Pang Xizhen had also left his own broken Celestial Soldier, the 'Fire Phoenix', for their protection.
Although the Fire Phoenix was broken, it could still display power comparable to an Earth Soldier.
Chen Yuan didn't lack Earth Soldiers, but that Broken Sword Fire Phoenix contained a trace of the Power of Fire Origin that Pang Xizhen had comprehended. It would be of great benefit for practicing the Celestial Fire Hall's Cultivation Technique in the future, so Chen Yuan wanted to get his hands on it.
The side branch disciple thought for a moment and said, "That old bastard Qiu Tianzheng wasn't skilled in Swordsmanship, so he was even less inclined to use a broken sword.
"So two years ago, Qiu Tianzheng used this Broken Sword as part of a betrothal gift for his direct grandson to marry the daughter of the Hong Family Castle's Fortress Lord, who lives a hundred li away."
Chen Yuan's expression darkened. 'That bastard Qiu Tianzheng really sold off his inheritance without a second thought.'
That was a former Celestial Soldier. Even if he didn't know it contained a trace of the Power of Origin, the broken Celestial Soldier was still no weaker than an ordinary Earth Soldier.
And yet, he actually gave away this Celestial Soldier Broken Sword as a betrothal gift for his grandson. 'That bastard really knew how to let things go.'
'No wonder this Qiu Family side branch disciple later joined forces with Zuo Feiyu to wipe out the family. The difference in how the Qiu Family treated its Direct Lineage versus its Side Branches was truly like heaven and earth.'
Just then, the side branch disciple suddenly looked up at Chen Yuan and said, "Sir, hiding the Great Brightness Sect's inheritance was all the doing of that old bastard Qiu Tianzheng and the Direct Lineage.
"If I hadn't eavesdropped, I never would have known my Qiu Family had such a grand origin. What an honor it was to be servants of the former Holy Sect! For them to commit such an act of betrayal against their masters—their deaths are not to be mourned!
"There are still some young disciples left alive in the Qiu Family. I am willing to help you, Sir, kill all these traitors! I only ask to be allowed to join the Holy Sect as a humble servant!"
"Alright."
Chen Yuan watched him with that same mocking smile.
The Qiu Family side branch disciple's spirits lifted instantly. He grabbed a sword and charged toward the rear of the Qiu estate.
He acted this way for two reasons. First, he truly harbored hatred in his heart.
In the original story, he had done the same, leading Zuo Feiyu to destroy his own family without the slightest hesitation.
Second, he was ambitious.
'Now that I'm alone, without a family, how long will it take to make a name for myself in the Jianghu?'
'The Great Brightness Sect may be an Evil Cult condemned by the Court and the Jianghu, but in its day, it stood at the very pinnacle of the martial world.'
'My Qiu Family ancestor gained so many benefits just from being a servant to the Great Brightness Sect. Of course, I can too.'
In less than a quarter of an hour, the Qiu Family side branch disciple had slaughtered everyone remaining in the family. He returned, spattered with blood, a look of excitement on his face.
"Sir, the people of the Qiu Family have all been dealt with. I should be able to join the Holy Sect now, right?"
Chen Yuan looked at him with approval. "Ruthless and decisive. You're quite the talent."
Hearing Chen Yuan's words, the side branch disciple let out a long sigh of relief, a hint of joy appearing on his face.
"But who told you I was from the Great Brightness Sect?"
The smile on the side branch disciple's face instantly froze.
The next moment, Chen Yuan pointed a finger. A condensed blast of Profound Celestial Finger Strength shot out, instantly blasting a bloody hole through the man's chest.
"You betrayed your family today; you could betray me tomorrow.
"Even if I really were from the Great Brightness Sect, how could I dare to use someone like you?"
Chen Yuan shook his head and headed straight for the Qiu Family's Treasure Vault.
The Qiu Family's Treasure Vault didn't contain much. Because the family had spent most of their time on Shanyang Ridge, their foundation wasn't particularly deep.
Chen Yuan rummaged through it, taking only some gold bars, Elixirs, and Spiritual Medicine.
Although he now had a Qiankun Bag, its space was limited. He couldn't waste it on useless items.
In the deepest part of the Treasure Vault was a large, mechanism-operated door. It didn't use a key; instead, it required a specific sequence of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to open.
Chen Yuan drew the Celestial Blade directly. Its sharp edge condensed with power, and with a single slash, he forcibly split the iron door open.
The Celestial Blade could shatter other weapons; an ordinary iron door like this was no match for it.
Behind the shattered iron door was an underground tunnel.
Chen Yuan had thought the Qiu Family would have completely concealed Pang Xizhen's inheritance. He never expected them to have built their family estate right on top of the inheritance site.
Following the tunnel downward, he found his path blocked by a fiery net-like Array.
A scorching aura emanated from the fiery net. Even after several hundred years, the Array showed no signs of decay.
Chen Yuan tossed the two halves of the Crimson Gold Waist Token into it. Instantly, the Crimson Gold Waist Token absorbed the power of the fiery net.
The fiery net dissipated, revealing a lifelike corpse before Chen Yuan.
It was a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged on the ground, bare-chested. His features were stern and cold, and a vivid Fire Phoenix tattoo was etched onto his back. Even in death, a scorching Yang Qi still lingered around his body.
This middle-aged man was the person from over four hundred years ago: the Hall Master of the Great Brightness Sect's Celestial Fire Hall, 'Fire Phoenix Burning the Land' Pang Xizhen.
As Chen Yuan moved closer, he discovered a sword wound piercing through Pang Xizhen's chest. The strike had gone straight through his body.
At the same time, three golden arrowheads were embedded in his spine. Hundreds of years had passed, yet an extreme sharpness still lingered on them.
But none of these were the fatal wounds. He had endured these injuries to get here, only to die from the complete exhaustion of his Qi Blood.
Pang Xizhen was clutching a crimson Spiritual Jade. The moment Chen Yuan took the Spiritual Jade from his hand, Pang Xizhen's body turned completely to dust.
At the same time, the fiery net Array from before also shattered and completely dissipated.
'This man had arranged everything perfectly, even before his death. As soon as someone obtained the inheritance, there was no need to even clean up the scene. Everything was left spotless.'
After placing the Spiritual Jade into his Qiankun Bag, Chen Yuan left Shanyang Ridge without delay. Only after returning to the inn at the foot of the mountain did he prepare to read the contents of the Spiritual Jade.
He sent his consciousness inside. The first thing that appeared in his mind was not a Cultivation Technique, but a message left by Pang Xizhen.
"To the one who receives my inheritance: you must kill Ye Jiuzhen of the Lifting Heaven Sword Pavilion and Jin Yuantai of the Blazing Sect for me!
"Those treacherous curs! I wish I could devour their flesh and drink their blood!"
From within the Spiritual Jade, Chen Yuan could clearly sense Pang Xizhen's hatred.
He could roughly guess what Pang Xizhen had experienced back then.
When the Great Brightness Sect was destroyed, the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins led the charge, but it was the Court that orchestrated everything from behind the scenes.
For the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins, they could not accept the Great Brightness Sect becoming the state religion and suppressing their own traditions.
The Court, on the other hand, could not tolerate having a Supreme Emperor ruling over them.
As for the other Jianghu Forces, they simply resisted the existence of a power as strong as the Great Brightness Sect; there were no other major conflicts of interest.
But Pang Xizhen had a sword wound and an arrow wound, the latter likely caused by the Blazing Sect's Blazing Extremity Godslaying Arrow.
Those two were probably on good terms with Pang Xizhen, but when the Great Brightness Sect was besieged by the world, they took advantage of his misfortune and even launched a sneak attack, which was how Pang Xizhen was severely wounded.
That was why Pang Xizhen didn't hate the Court or the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins. Instead, he harbored a bone-deep hatred for those two alone.
However, Pang Xizhen never would have expected that his inheritance wouldn't be discovered until hundreds of years later.
Now, even if Chen Yuan wanted to avenge him, the most he could do was probably destroy their graves.